Pen Pal
by Allison Elder
Summary: I find your lack of enthusiasm in this correspondance childish and amusing in equal portions. You're pouting like a child.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of Ms. Rowling's wonderful creations. Nor do I own any of the various songs that may be presented throughout the length of this fanfiction. The various songs will be named at the end of the fic, as well as in the chapter within which they lie.**

**_For the record, I have indeed seen the fourth movie. Voldemort is now my favorite character in this series for the simple fact that he is just overwhelmingly friggen COOL! This story is based off of that...obsession. Yes, I am obsessed. My friends constantly roll my eyes at me. They dared me to go a full night without saying "VOLDEMORT IS SO COOL!"...I didn't make it two hours. Hell, I didn't even make it thirty minutes. Nuff said. Here you go…this one is a bit different from all of my others. I would appreciate it if someone would like to beta this one or the other new one, Spinning Bottles. I don't have as much time as I would like to look over the chapters to ensure that they are top quality before spitting them out._**

_**Yours,**_

_**Allison**_

**Chapter One**

_Dear Penpal,_

_I don't suppose you are any more thrilled about this than either of my friends. I can still hear their groans and I'm in the library while they're in the dormitory. Or maybe those are just the groans of the random students around the library starting their own letters. Personally, I'm rather excited by the thought of becoming penpal with someone outside of Hogwarts. Headmistress McGonagall suggested that we direct our owls to either Durmstrang or Beauxbatons, but I think I'll just tell Riddler- My owl- to pick a random wizard. He really is a good judge of character, for an owl._

_We're not supposed to tell our names in these letters, and we're not allowed to suggest a meeting until at least this summer. I suppose that's understandable, but I can also tell that it has the potential to become a great nuisance. I like to be able to see who I'm writing to. It can't be helped, though. Sometimes, it's better to get to know someone through personalities rather than looks. I've known people who were so superficial that they couldn't see past skin-deep...even when the evidence was right in front of them._

_Well, perhaps I'd best let you know a little about me before I have to go to potions. My new potions professor- while not the brightest crayon in the box (as the muggles could say)- is a stickler about late students. I never thought I would admit this- even on parchment- but I rather miss our old potions professor. He was a cruel, cruel man...but at least he knew wormwood from sandalwood. I'm not so sure about Professor Barkman (Oh the humiliation that must come from that name!). What was I on about before this? Oh yes! About me. Well, I'm a seventh year at Hogwarts. I'm not supposed to tell anything that would give away my identity, you understand, so I'm forced to leave out several details that I'm quite proud of. Oh well. I'm female, and I do okay with my studies._

_Oh! Look at the time! If I'm going to get this to Riddler and still make it into the dungeons in time to avoid a lecture (and detention) from Professor Barkman, I have to run!_

_Please write back!_

_Bookish Babe (Not my choice of "penname," I promise! My friends came up with it...the fools)_

Hermione Granger quickly shoved her ink and quill into her bag, slinging the bag over her shoulder and tucking her hair behind her ear as she ran for the owlery. Her parents had bought her an owl for making Head Girl, and she couldn't have been happier with the creature. A snowy owl- like Hedwig- he was white with black specks. The owl's specks were in the shape of question marks, all over his snowy-white body. Remembering the muggle villain from Batman, Riddler, that was what she'd named him.

Stepping into the owlery, she looked around. Spying Hedwig and Riddler perched above her, she let out a soft three-toned-whistle. As the bigger of the two snowy owls flew down to her arm, she handed him the folded letter. "Just...find a wizard that you think worthy of a correspondance, Riddler." She said, quietly. "You know what kind of person I'd enjoy writing to. Use your best judgement." She stroked his sleek head for a moment before walking to the window and extending her arm, lifting it quickly to allow him to fly away. Watching the owl disappear into the October sky, she smiled faintly for a moment before turning and running for the dungeons.

Skidding into the potions classroom, she sat down in her usual seat and yanked out her text book moments before the hawk-like Professor Barkman swooped in. She was a revolting cross between Rita Skeeter and Argus Filch. She was shorter than most fourth years, with greasy, thin brown hair out from under which a pair of beady, rat-like black eyes glared at the students. Pale, nearly translucent flesh practically hung off of her bones, giving her an anorexic, malnourished appearance. Her fingernails were long and wicked-looking...curved over and in desperate need of a clipping.

Biting back a groan, Hermione rubbed her temples for a moment before beginning to work on the potion that- no doubt- would be under appreciated by the bastardized, whorish woman that now commanded their potions classes. Malfoy had been ridiculed until the proud Slytherin had broken down in tears in the privacy of the Head Dorms. He'd been allowed back into Hogwarts on McGonagall's insistance, and made Head Boy...again, under Minerva's insistence. At least with him sharing a dormitory with Hermione, the Headmistress had explained- discreetly- to the young woman, Hermione could keep an eye on him.

The first time Hermione'd seen him break down in tears, she'd silently backed out of the room without being seen, desperately trying to get away to think. When their vulture of a teacher had made him break down a second time, Hermione had approached him- hesitantly- and been turned away. The third time, she hadn't let him turn her away, and she'd broken through his shell. Slightly. They were halfway civil, now. Enough so that they paired up in potions, more often than not, and managed passing grades. Barely.

She began taking notes when a very different handwriting appeared on one piece of parchment beside the original parchment. Her eyes widened slightly and she glanced up at Professor Barkman before pulling out a quik quotes quill and very carefully settling it in her left hand. She was ambidextrous- both with her wand and her writing- but she couldn't take notes with one hand and write replies to Draco with the other. They'd figured out a charm similar to Tom Riddle's diary, only on parchment rather than in a book. So, with one hand following the guide of the quik quotes quill, she turned her full attention to the other piece of parchment.

**_What's up, Grange? You were nearly late._** Hermione fought not to make a face at his nickname for her. It would be just great for Professor Barkman to notice her face and ask some random question about the lecture.

_That penpal business that McGonagall has us starting._ She wrote with her right hand. _I finished my letter, so I ran it up to Riddler to take for me._

**_You've already gotten your first letter finished? Damn Grange! Overachiever much?_** Hermione bit her lower lip, fighting to keep from smiling.

_Jealous, Mister Fluffers?_ She wrote.

_**I still want to know where you got that nickname.**_

_Fourth Year. You made a cute, fluffy ferret. I figured you wouldn't enjoy Mister Ferret. Besides...it doesn't quite have the same ring to it that Mister Fluffers does._

There was a cry of outrage from two rows in front of her. Professor Barkman whirled, her beady eyes narrowing. "What was that, Mister Malfoy?" Sne sneered.

_Quick! Tell her that you fully agree with her theory that the Ministry's banning of Morbisa Liana is completely unnecessary and absolutely without base!_ Hermione wrote.

"I...I just..." He paused for a long moment. Probably to read what Hermione had jotted down after a desperate glance towards her notes.

"Yes, Mister Malfoy?"

"I just...was...outraged...and appalled...that Morbisa Liana is banned by the ministry." He stuttered out, recovering his charisma. "It's completely unnecessary, and _utterly_ without base!" His voice was firm and strong.

"I see..." Barkman stared at the blonde for a long moment before turning back to her board and continuing her lecture. Hermione and Draco both relaxed as one. Harry- who was beside her- glanced over in amusement. He'd been reading over her shoulder- as usual.

_**Thanks, Grange. I thought I was dead for sure!**_

_No problem, Dee._ She scrawled easily. _After all, if you get in trouble, my ass is grass too. Barkman holds grudges, and you're my lab partner._

_**Oh sure...bail me out for your own ass. Not for me. I see how it is.**_

Hermione smiled behind her hand before glancing up at their professor, an earnest expression on her face. _Oh, you know I love you. Now...are you done writing notes to me? She's going to notice that you're not taking notes from the lecture..._

_**I suppose...I guess I'd better get started on that Penpal deal anyway. Hey Grange...**_

_Yeah?_

**_...Nevermind. I'll see you back in our common room._** Hermione frowned slightly, glancing at Harry before looking up at Professor Barkman once more.

**randomwordsindicatingscenebreak**

His eyes glinted slightly as he looked at the rather foul tempered owl that had brought him the letter. "She wants a reply..?" When the bird gave him a 'Well duh' look, he let a smirk twist at his pale lips. After several long moments, he nodded and moved to a desk, pulling out a piece of strange green parchment. Another amused glance at the bird, and he sat down and began to write.

Once the letter was finished, he cast a simple drying spell and picked up the letter, folding it and slipping it into a green envelope, sealing it with silver wax. Writing her penname on the front, he stood and walked to the snowy owl waiting. "Back to your mistress, post haste." He said, quietly. The owl hooted softly and took flight, disappearing into the night. He stood silently and walked to the window, watching it...a white speck in the night...for a long moment before he was interrupted by a knock on the door.

**ohjoyheresanotherscenebreakforya**

Hermione and Harry broke out into laughter as Ron finished up one of his latest jokes, striking a pose on the top of the table. Once they'd alll finished, they walked towards the doors of the Great Hall, still talking quietly. There was a loud screech from up above and Hermione turned, spotting Riddler as he circled. She gave a three-toned-whistle and held up her right arm. The giant owl landed on her forearm and handed her the letter in an odd green envelope.

Harry looked at the letter and let out a short gasp, pressing his hand to his scar. "Harry? What is it?" Hermione asked, taking a step towards him.

"Nothing...just a twinge. Nothing big." Harry said. Hermione and Ron looked worriedly at each other as Hermione picked a piece of chicken up off of a table to one side, giving it to Riddler, who snatched it from her hand. She lifted her hand quickly, letting him spread his wings and fly off. Slipping the envelope into the book that she'd brought to the table with her, she turned back to her conversation as the three proceeded on from the hall. After several flights of stairs, the three parted ways, and Hermione moved down the hall and around a corner and up two more flights of stairs before arriving at a portrait of ten dragons, swooping around and blowing fire at random intervals.

"Ferret Grange." She stated softly and the dragons all turned, flying towards her in a fierce rush as the portrait swung open. She ducked on instinct before sighing and glaring at the portrait's back and walking into the common room beyond. As the portrait swung closed, Hermione set her bookbag on the floor beside her favorite chair and sank into her chair. Just as she was about to pull the letter from the book, the door flung open and she heard a choked breath. Her eyes flew to the door as Draco stumbled in, blood trailing down his face.

She was on her feet in moments, running for the door with her wand drawn. Blaise Zabini was unprepared to find a furious Gryffindor with her wand at his throat, her eyes narrowed. "Zabini. What are you doing here?" She snarled.

"Bringing Draco in. He fell off his broom."

"Fell? Or was pushed?" Hermione shoved him against the wall.

"I don't know." Blaise choked. "One minute he was there, the next he was falling...I don't know what happened."

"Find out." Hermione snapped. He nodded, shakily, and turned, all but running down the hallway. The witch spun to where the blonde was emptying his gut on the floor.

"Grange?" He sobbed out. "Grange..."

"I'm here. I'm here. Shh. Calm down, Draco..." She knelt by him and gently helped him up the stairs and gently into his bed. He rolled over and wretched, sending stomach bile flying to the floor as Hermione held his head in her lap and stroked his hair back from his face. When he was finally finished, she eased him back into the bed. "Don't get used to being pampered, Malfoy." She whispered in his ear, causing him to laugh softly as she began to heal him slowly.

"Thank you, Grange." He whispered, his eyes drifting closed as he curled close to her. She continued whispering soft spells, fully healing him. "Where'd you learn to heal, anyway?"

"Harry's aunt an uncle are abusive, and I have a funny uncle."

"Why would you need to know how to heal for an uncle who tells jokes?"

"Not that kind of uncle...a funny uncle is an adult male relative who sexually abuses you." Hermione explained. He went still, very suddenly.

"I'll kill him. Who was he?" He was half out of the bed- despite being half-asleep and disoriented- before she could push him back down. Gently settling him in, she shushed him gently.

"It's taken care of...I never have to go back...shhh...you need rest. Anyway, due to those things, I studied up a lot over the summer on healing spells and potions. Lie still, now. I'll be back." She turned and walked quietly out of the room, returning a bit later with a potion vial.

"What is that?" He murmured.

She slid an arm behind his shoulders and lifted him gently, placing the vial against his lips. "It's a dreamless sleep potion, mixed with a couple of healing potions that I've worked into the formula."

"Thank you." He whispered, closing his eyes and drifted to sleep. Hermione sighed softly and walked calmly out of the room. Sighing, she finally sat down and pulled free her letter, breaking open the seal.

_Dear Bookish Babe,_

_I find your confidence in this dumb brute that you call an owl and his judgment overwhelmingly foolish. For all you know, I could be some exceedingly famous Dark Lord. Though I can see where a child such as yourself might find such a correspondance quite invigorating, I'm at a loss to see how becoming a- what did you call it? A penpal?- with someone is particularly exciting._

_It's a pity that you're not allowed to tell names, or suggest meetings...it would be quite...delightful...to be able to meet you. A great nuisance indeed. At least you shall have this...mind-boggling...letter writing to determine the depths of my intelligence. I must say I have to disagree on your theory of personalities versus looks. I have met people who look like something a dragon regurgitated, and their personalities are just about the same, if not even more nasty._

_I find your perkiness astoundingly grating. Your potions professor probably finds it twice as much so. Have you ever read a depressing book? I'd assume not, since you seem to have gotten the idea in your head that getting to know each other through letters is a good idea. So I am safely assuming, I believe, that I'd best tell you something about myself? Now, what were your rules? Oh yes, we cannot give anything away as to our identity. Very well. I am male._

_And there you have it, I have written._

_Exceedingly Annoyed_


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of Ms. Rowling's wonderful creations. Nor do I own any of the various songs that may be presented throughout the length of this fanfiction. The various songs will be named at the end of the fic, as well as in the chapter within which they lie.**

A big thanks and a shout out goes to:

Snow-Fairie – I'm glad you like it. I wasn't sure how this particularly story would be accepted, seeing as I'm normally more into writing the more traditional pairings.

**DreamingPrincessPsycho – I'm glad you like the idea. I was playing with the idea of a HermioneVoldemort story all of the way back from watching the fourth movie (I drove for an hour to see it...just to find out that they finally got it in my hometown that very day) and this idea just popped into my mind after about three hours worth of stewing it over. Also, I stated in the first chapter that Riddler is, in fact, named after the Batman villain. He's my favorite batman villain. Also, as I said before...I don't need a beta so much for grammar (I've got grammar ingrained in me) but to make sure that the story flows together. (Oh! And the tragedy is for later chapters...there was no way around the decision that I had to make in that regard.)**

**goldenlioness1102 – It's partially a DracoHermioneVoldemort story...but I think I'll make it a Draco/Pansy or a Draco/Luna story. I'm not entirely sure who he'll be paired up...if he is.**

**the-amazing-color-brown – There aren't as many Hermione/Voldemort stories out there as I personally feel there should be, but welcome aboard! I find this pairing is one of my favorites. I like the dark, evil guys...so in all of my stories, Hermione is going to fall for them, more likely than not. Anyway, I hope this story continues to interest you.**

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_**Okay, again, I'd like to ask if anyone would like to beta this story or my other new one, Spinning Bottles. It's not so much for grammar as to make sure that I don't get ahead of myself. I get impatient with my stories, and tend to rush them. I just want someone to read over the chapters before I post them to make sure that they fit in with the other chapters.**_

_**Yours,**_

_**Allison**_

**Chapter Two**

_Dear Exceedingly Annoyed,_

_I find your lack of enthusiasm in this correspondance childish and amusing in equal portions. You're pouting like a child. Dark Lord? I doubt it. I've heard of only one "exceedingly famous Dark Lord" in this day and time and I highly doubt that he would take any time out of his schedule to write to a mere seventeen-year-old. And if you don't see how having a penpal is exciting, then perhaps you should reevaluate this entire correspondance. Honestly, you act as if it's the end of the world that you have to sit down and write a letter every now and then._

_You, sir, seem to delight in the hidden barbs of sarcasm. Is that a talent, or did you have to work at developing that skill? I'm quite interested to know. I'll give you that there are people whose looks and personalities line up, but you must admit that- on the whole- those with good looks often have quite wretched personalities. Most people think I'm an ugly slob. Just because I don't put much thought into my looks, in favor of my school work. It hurts my feelings, at times, but I've learned not to let people get to me._

_If my perkiness offends you, I apologize. It's a nasty habit...one I've picked up from years of having to act quite delighted at even the most horrid of tasks. My parents always expected the best of me, with a smile. Anything less and I'd be punished. As for your question on a depressing book...indeed, I have. I've just finished a muggle series that depressed me quite greatly. It's just ingrained in me to be perky and eager. How, may I ask, is it not a good idea for us to get to know each other through letters? It's not that horrible! And that's hardly fair! I gave you at least four pieces of information, the least you could do is return the favor!_

_I have a free period now, so I have a bit of time to give you another couple of facts about me. There are a few things that I want to keep secret for a while longer...until we've had ample time to get to know each other...but for now I can tell you that I enjoy hot cocoa by a fire- made with milk, not water. Water makes it nasty- and long soaks in bubble baths. My favorite color is green, favorite animal is the fox, and my favorite flower is the water lily. I love their scent. I have waterlily perfume, and I treasure it like you wouldn't believe._

_Very good, now write again._

_Amused Bookworm_

The Dark Lord, Voldemort, stood in his private quarters silently looking out the window. He could hear Wormtail snivelling downstairs, where Bellatrix Lestrange snarled at him. Silence rang through the mansion that served as Voldemort's headquarters, then. He assumed that Pettigrew had obeyed the insane woman, and again he felt the need to roll his eyes and pray for competent followers. Followers less like the insane Bellatrix or the traitor rat animagus and more like the rather loyal Severus Snape...who'd blown his own cover to rid the world of that muggle-loving fool, Dumbledore.

Of course, Snape just **couldn't** have killed that wretched Harry Potter along with the headmaster. It was that, more than anything, that had landed Snape in the doghouse. Voldemort did not tolerate failure, no matter how slight. Which was why Draco Malfoy had gone running back to Hogwarts to hide safely behind the wands of Harry Potter and his fool friends. Voldemort had heard from Crabbe Senior that Crabbe Junior and Goyle Junior had been turned on by their ferrety leader, in favor of Granger. A _mudblood_.

Voldemort was not pleased. Even his plan to scare Granger by harming Draco hadn't worked to plan, as the young Malfoy had reappeared- practically unharmed...**_unharmed!_**- in classes, just the next day. He supposed he could use one of his other contacts in Hogwarts...but no. Perhaps it was best for him to bide his time and let the side of the so-called light come to him. The war had been on their turf from the beginning, after all, and the losses to Voldemort's forces had been great. Lucius Malfoy...many others as well. Of course...there had been many equally devastating losses to the "Light" side. That was the one plus of the war, thus far.

There was a knock on his door, making him turn fiercely towards the door, swooping in angrily like a hawk approaching its prey. When the door flew open, he narrowed his eyes at the man standing just on the other side of it. "What is it, Snape?"

"My Lord...the potion that you requested has been finished. With your permission, I'll begin testing it."

"Of course, Snape. Of course." Voldemort waved his hand dismissively, still amazed- even after two and a half years- at the fact that he was truly alive once more and able to make such gestures. Sighing softly, he walked towards the window once again when he caught sight of a speck outside. Smirking- very carefully not smiling, even in his own demented way- at the appearance of the bird, he pushed open the window and let the much-larger-than-normal snowy owl fly in and perch on one of the bedposts.

A wave of his wand closed and warded the door, and Voldemort moved to the bed, glancing at Nagini where she was coiled and chuckling at the incredulous expression she gave him. "Ah, thank you Riddler." Voldemort said quietly, taking the envelope and looking at it pensievely for a long moment before sitting and opening it. When he'd finished reading it, he was torn between the desire to growl and the desire to laugh. "Impertinent Chit." He muttered, leaning back in his chair and setting the letter on the desk. Staring into nothingness, he realized that he should most likely be plotting a way into Hogwarts to attack and kill Hermione Granger, Ronald Weasley, and Harry Potter. The three of them were the key fighters for the light.

Of course, the fools had placed their bace somewhere within Hogwarts. **_Of course_** he had lost the only student close enough to them to spy and powerful enough to find out what they were doing. With a frustrated growl, he yanked a piece of green parchment from the desk and began to write.

**oohtheplotthickensandheresascenebreak**

Hermione glanced around before nodding to Draco, who crept forward into the hallway and paced back and forth thrice. Once the door appeared, the muggleborn hurried forward to stand beside Draco. Together, they said clearly. "Arimaeus, Barimaeus, Cerulaeus."

"Hermione." Hermione stated.

"Draco." The blonde echoed, and the door opened. It had taken Hermione most of the summer and into September to work out all of the spells needed to seal the Room of Requirements to the outside world. As the door swung open, she and Draco glanced around before stepping inside and closing the door behind them. Harry and Ron were already inside, poring over a piece of parchment.

"Hermione, Draco." Harry greeted, barely glancing up. He'd become obsessed with their hunt for the Horcruxes. In the end, he'd returned to Hogwarts only because the Missuses Granger and Weasley would not allow their children to do anything **_but_** return. As soon as she'd heard that her parents wouldn't allow her to go with Harry when he refused to return to school, Hermione had begun planning to set their base up at Hogwarts.

"What's going on, Harry? Why did you call a meeting?" Hermione asked.

"One of Bill and Fleur's contacts has located what might possibly be a horcrux." Ron said. "We'd like you to read over the letter, Draco, and check it over for any kind of traps."

"Will do." Hermione had read the letter through by this time and she handed it to Draco, closing her eyes. A shelf full of scrolls appeared nearby and Hermione selected a few, walking to her desk.

"I'll start searching the maps to plot a portkey." She said softly. They nodded and began to talk quietly among themselves about the best way to destroy a portkey. After about ten minutes of relative quiet, the door opened slowly and Neville, Ginny, and Luna slipped inside.

"Sorry we're late." Neville said. "Filch was coming by with Mrs. Norris."

"Bloody Cat..." Ginny muttered.

"_Icarum Lateum!"_ Draco said, suddenly. The letter from Bill's contact turned black, and then sheer white before the parchment resumed its ordinary color. "There's nothing dark on it...but it could still be a wild goose chase."

"We'll probably need your expertise in the dark arts on this one." Harry said, looking up. He didn't look at Ginny, and she didn't look at him. When Hermione looked up from her map, he said quickly. "We'll make sure to keep him safe. You needn't worry about that, Hermione." Knowing how protective Hermione was getting of the Slytherin, Harry could well imagine exactly what would happen to Ron and he if they let Draco come to any harm.

Draco glanced at the witch before turning to look at Harry. "Alright. I'll get a few things from my room and be back."

"Do you want me to go with you?" Hermione asked.

"No, that's okay. I'll be back shortly." He was already out the door. After a few moments, Hermione looked at Ginny, who nodded and slipped out silently after him. Hermione had become the impromptu Dumbledore figure of their entire group. They all agreed that she was too valuable to lose, and so the other six were the ones that left Hogwarts. Hermione took pains to make sure they each had an undetectable tracking spell on them that would alert her the moment they needed her help. Only three were allowed out at once, so that they had backup if it was needed.

"Okay, who all is going?" Hermione asked. She liked to even things up. "Harry, of Course...and..." She began to look towards Luna and Neville when Ron spoke.

"I'm going." Hermione frowned at this. The weaker three spellcasters would be the backup in this case...though she supposed Ginny was strong. Neville could be rather powerful when he wanted to, as well, but still...

"Ron..." She began.

"No. I'm going, Hermione." Her jaw shut and the two had a short staring contest of sorts. Their short foray into the dating world hadn't agreed with them that summer, and they quarreled now more than ever. After a long time, Hermione's jaw tightened.

"Fine. But don't expect me to show up to save your ass this time, Ronald Weasley." The redhead went pale. None of them dared piss Hermione off for that very reason. She had a temper- one which she was not, in any way, afraid to use- and she controlled their backup. Hermione slammed first a scroll and then an old boot down on the table for them before storming over to the door that appeared in one end of the room and stepping into it, slamming it behind her.

Harry looked at Ron, as did Luna and Neville. The redhead glared at them all and snatched up the scroll, opening it to study the map.

Draco entered the room with Ginny not much later and Hermione emerged immediately from her "private study" to give them all some last minute instructions. "I don't want any one of you showing off." She said, looking at Draco and Harry and ignoring Ron. "At the first sign of troubled, I want you to send word back to me. Anything too dangerous and you're to get your asses back here. I'll give you three full days before I send the backup team in to find you."

"Oh, Grange...here." Draco handed her a green envelope. "Riddler showed up when I was picking some stuff up from the common room."

"Thank you, Draco." Hermione took the envelope and nodded. "You all know the drill. One of us will be in this room at all times, and I will be taking my meals and sleeping in my study until they've returned." When they all nodded, Hermione turned and looked at the three who were leaving. "Go."

They all touched the portkey and said together "Wishes Granted." With a cry, they were gone. Hermione stood silently for a long moment before turning to the others.

"Who will take the first watch?"

"I will, Hermione." Ginny said immediately. The other three nodded and headed out. They hated waiting, but were quite used to it by now. It was now December. Hermione had been getting to know her penpal quite well through the last two months. In her last letter, she had finally instructed him to send her an extra, blank sheet of parchment. This would be his latest letter and the parchment, she knew, but she had no time between her studies and coordinating with the other three to maintain the vigil in the Room of Requirements to read the letter.

It wasn't until much later that night, when she was crawling into the soft twin-sized bed that was in her study, that she pulled out the letter and opened it.

_Dearest Bookworm,_

_Don't think that I've forgotten you, my dear. There was an accident at work and so I've had my hands quite full lately, but I've finally managed to steal a few minutes to write you. I must say, I was surprised to see Riddler, after the last letter that I wrote to you. I've been rather nasty over this last month, haven't I? It is not your fault, after all, that you are a muggleborn. Forgive me for throwing such an arrogant, idiotic fit upon finding out. As you oh-so-artistically pointed out in your last letter, I was behaving like a child._

_On an off note, I have indeed included the piece of parchment that you requested, though I must admit, I find myself curious as to what exactly you will be using this parchment for. No doubt your fierce need to prove yourself is going to make you do something fiercely egotistical and foolish. I suppose that can't exactly be helped, however, so here you are._

_Since I do not know how well my letter will be recieved, I must now bid you adieu, my dear, until next time._

_Sincerely Apologetic_

Hermione snorted softly, smiling just slightly as she touched the letter. He had actually proven to be fairly sensitive for- she was sure- the first time in his snide, sarcastic life. She had signed her last- rather angry- letter to him with '_Idiotic, Mudblooded, Waste-of-Flesh.' _ Though she wasn't supposed to give him any indicator of her identity, she'd been on a rant, a while back, about Ron and Harry (Who they had agreed to call Don and Jerry in the letters, to make things simpler) when she'd accidentally slipped and written '_Sometimes, it just PISSES me off that some people can't get over the fact that a muggleborn can best them in magic! I tell you, sometimes I wish I could just Avada Don and Jerry!_' The response had been immediate and devastatingly angry. She'd been reduced to tears by a mere letter, leaving it on her desk and crying herself to sleep. The next day, once she had finished being hurt, she'd gotten angry and given him a proper response to his foolishness.

Smiling, Hermione slipped from her bed, pulled out the second, blank piece of parchment, and moved to her desk, where a crisp blue piece sat waiting. Touching her wand to the green parchment, she began to whisper a complicated incantation, at the end of which she touched the blue parchment. Tapping her wand delicately against the blue, she repeated the incantation- touching the green at the end. This done, she picked up a quill and dipped it in ink, reaching out and writing on the blue parchment. The words immediately appeared on the green. Writing on the green parchment, the words immediately appeared on the blue. Nodding her satisfaction, Hermione tapped each with her wand and whispered, "Blanco." At the spell, the parchments both wiped themselves clean immediately.

Sitting down, Hermione dipped her quill into the ink and began writing on the green piece of parchment, a set of instructions on how it could be used. Once she was finished, she folded the blue parchment, opened the window of the study, and let out a three-toned whistle. When Riddler flew to her, she handed it to him. "I'm sorry, Riddler...but I need you to make one more trip for me tonight." She told him, caressing his soft feathers before sending him off.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of Ms. Rowling's wonderful creations. Nor do I own any of the various songs that may be presented throughout the length of this fanfiction. The various songs will be named at the end of the fic, as well as in the chapter within which they lie.**

A big thanks and a shout out goes to:

**  
Warg – You can if you want...and please don't use my real name, dear...if I wanted to go by it on here, I'd have put it up in my profile.**

**wordwiz8121 – I beg your pardon! My obsession with Voldemort is NOT unhealthy! Hiss!**

**Bombshell9 – I'm glad you enjoy it. And...I really don't think Hermione's all that emotionless. When you think about it, it makes sense that she'd be used to hiding some of her emotions. Not only is she in the middle of the war, but she has become the unofficial, figurative Dumbledore to their little group. They have a problem, in other words, and they go to her. Something goes wrong, they go to her. That's a lot of weight to be on a seventeen-year-old's shoulders and there are going to be some definite repercussions.**

_This is probably one of my favorite stories, of the ones that I'm working on. Obsession with Voldie aside, I like the way the plot-line is progressing. Also, I'd like to note before any of you points it out (That way if you point it out later I can laugh at you for not paying attention and READING the Author's Notes) that yes, Voldemort IS "Out of Character" but it cannot be helped. I did not want to take the time overdeveloping a character of another author's make, so I sped up the process. Writing to Hermione has become a pastime for him...much like writing is a pastime for me and reading is obviously a pastime for some of you...and it's one that- despite himself- he finds enjoyable._

_**Also, this is a ROMANCE story, meaning that eventually there are going to be some majorly strong feelings between Hermione and Voldemort...how the hell am I supposed to get there if not by making one of them OOC? And really, you'll find that I'm going to attempt a balance, so both are out of character at the same time that neither is. There will be some conflict in Voldemort's mind, as in Hermione's about whether or not this whole thing is worth it. However, the softening of him and the hardening of her will occur throughout the entire thing as they grow closer.**_

_**Also, before anyone asks about the passage of time, I would like to point out- again- that this fic is more emphasizing Hermione and Voldemort's budding feelings than anything else. I promise, there will be more about the blood and gore later...what is a tragedy, after all, without the proper blood and gore? And now, without further ado, I will leave you to your entertainment. **_

_**Yours,**_

_**Allison**_

**Chapter Three**

He sat in the throne that he'd created long ago, idly listening to the argument raging between Bellatrix Lestrange and Severus Snape on random things. He was still unsure as to why, exactly, he'd apologized to the mudblood chit. Her last letter had been explosive and angry, and he'd acted on instinct alone, asking for her forgiveness. Unfortunately, he'd been forced to put off sending the apology, because Severus- the fool- had accidentally hexed Riddler and the owl had been some time in recovering. Voldemort had not been pleased...though he did smirk, seeing how the Potions Master still limped even then...a good week and a half after the punishment had been administered.

He watched as the familiar white owl floated through the window, spotting Snape and giving a screech as it bulleted down and at an angle past the dark man, landing safely beside Voldemort, who reached out automatically to stroke the soft white head, taking the letter with his other hand. "Hello Riddler." He commented mildly, not noticing that his followers had ceased arguing and were now staring at him with something akin to disbelief on their faces. Slipping the letter into his robes, he looked up to see them staring at him. "Yes?" His voice was suddenly very, very dangerous.

"We were just wondering if you wanted us to move the horcrux to a safer location, my lord." Severus purred, casting a glare at Bellatrix.

"Severus, the horcrux is fine where it is." Voldemort said, calmly. "Now, how are your experiments coming?"

"Very well, my lord." Severus whispered, bowing. "I will soon have it perfected to the point where it can be tested on humans."

"Excellent. That will be all. Bellatrix, you do remember that tomorrow you are to be heading the attack on the Minister of Magic's family, do you not?" Voldemort asked.

"Yes, my Lord." Bellatrix bowed, turning and swooping out in a flurry of flowing hair and robes. Severus stared at the owl for a moment longer before turning and swooping out of the room in a flurry of robes. Voldemort turned to the bird, admiring the imperius gaze of the creature as it glared at Snape's back.

"Come, Riddler." He stated, holding out his arm for the owl to perch on. Once the owl had settled himself, Voldemort swooped out of the room in his own swift, powerful way. A wave of one hand threw the door to his room open before he reached it, and he used his wand only to ward it against intruders. Nobody short of Dumbledore would have been able to get through, and Dumbledore was dead. Riddler fluttered from his forearm to the perch that had been made for him in the corner, fluttering his wings and looking out at the night sky.

Voldemort's attention turned fully to the blue piece of parchment that he pulled from its envelope. Unfolding it slowly, he looked at the very familiar writing on it.

_My dear Sincerely Apologetic,_

_You are, no doubt, wondering what this parchment is for. Well, now you will find out. I worked out a spell, at the beginning of this year, to allow me to write on one piece of parchment and have it show up on another piece completely. It's one of my smarter inventions, if I do say so myself. Anyways, the instructions to using it are this:_

_When you have put it away, and someone wishes to "speak" with you, a small chime will sound. Careful, though! The chime will be keyed for your ears alone. Once you write on this piece of parchment, simply say 'Encanto' and it will be cued to you. Nobody else will be able to read what is written there, and nobody else will be able to write to me on my end. Until you say 'Encanto' however, anyone at all can write, so be careful where you leave it until then. To wipe the parchment clean again after our correspondance, you can simply say 'Blanco' and tap it with the tip of your wand. If you wish to read over our correspondance once again, I suggest a simple replica spell._

_Very well...you are forgiven._

_Tigerlily_

She had, he noticed, signed with the name that she had taken as her "official" name. It was what he called her, in his mind. Well, when he wasn't calling her mudblood. Somehow, however, in the past week of not hearing anything from her (Damn Snape, anyways) the word had stopped becoming vehement and full of animosity in his mind, and it had turned into something almost...affectionate. In all honesty, Tigerlily was the first person- let alone a female- to challenge his mind and dare to talk back to him.

Most people either hated him, or were too afraid to put him in his place. This impertinent chit had no idea of his real identity- nor he of hers- so it made it easy for their snide, almost playful, bickering to continue. It was almost a foreign feeling to him. He had never simply exchanged playful banter with anyone. In the orphanage, he'd done what he could to come out ahead of everyone else because that was how one survived the turmoil of the orphanage. In Hogwarts, he'd been thrown into the intrigue and plots that came with being in Slytherin. None of the banter that he'd ever taken part of had been in any way friendly. It was, he decided, a refreshing change.

Tapping the parchment with his wand, he cast the nonverbal spell. _Blanco._ Before picking up his quill to write.

**meanwhilebackathogwartswithhermione**

She was unsure precicely what woke her, but she rubbed her eyes and sat up nonetheless. After a moment, she heard it again. The distinct peal of bells that signaled someone trying to write to her. Automatically, she pulled out the worn piece of normal parchment from her bag and looked at it. Seeing nothing written from Draco, she frowned and rubbed her temples, looking around the room for a few moments in confusion.

Her eyes landed on the green piece of parchment sitting on her desk and she smiled, grabbing a robe and slipping it on, tying it as she moved to her desk and sat, lighting a candle with the wave of one hand.

**_I suppose you're all-knowing too, as you seem to be so modest about what you do know._** Hermione fought back laughter, glancing at her clock.

_It's three o'clock in the morning and all you're worried about is my modesty?_ She wrote. _Tsk!_

**_Oh, so it does work!_** He seemed pleased by this fact. **_I was worried that you'd sent me some sort of trap or prank._**

_Why, praytell, would I want to trap- OR prank- the only person that I can hold a lengthy, mind-challenging discussion with?_

_**Far be it from me to question your integrity, my dear. However, I am accustomed to my colleagues from work and so find myself quite suspicious, despite myself.**_

_One might wonder, sir, what kind of company you keep to not only make you nocturnal, but suspicious of every little thing as well._ She wrote in jest, smiling slightly. _Perhaps it would be prudent to seek less questionable company._

_**Would that I could, my dear, but I'm afraid that there are very few people who can tolerate my company.**_

_I'm sorry. It must be lonely._

**annnnndbacktotheallcoolvoldemort**

**_I'm sorry. It must be lonely._** He stared at those two simple sentences silently, touched for some reason that was beyond his comprehension. For the first time in his life, Voldemort- or Tom Riddle, as he was once known- could not comprehend something. For the first time, someone cared. Not because he would hex them if they didn't, not because they wanted power...but because they did.

Realizing that she was waiting for an answer, he cleared his throat and dipped his quill in ink. _You have no idea, my dear. But you spoke correctly before...it is late, and I am sure you have classes on the morrow._

**_You're right about that. I need to check on something before going back to sleep, anyways, so no harm has been done. Goodnight, Vlad._** She had used the nickname that he'd picked out after the infamous Vlad the Impaler.

_Goodnight, dear Tigerlily._ He wrote, silently wiping the parchment clean and placing it safely away before moving to bed himself.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of Ms. Rowling's wonderful creations. Nor do I own any of the various songs that may be presented throughout the length of this fanfiction. The various songs will be named at the end of the fic, as well as in the chapter within which they lie.**

A big thanks and a shout out goes to:

**  
screwtheperfectlife – I'm glad that you like it. Voldemort is always seen as a depraved sociopath, but I wanted to portray him differently in this one. I'm glad that you enjoy it.**

**Warg – I believe, had you read my author's note in Chapter Three, that you would have seen my explanation for the fact that Voldemort is in and out of character. And how do you know that he went to sleep? I said he went to bed I never said that he went to sleep. You're trying to read a mountain where there's merely a molehill. As for the length of the chapters...that is up to my discretion. When I feel that I have covered all of the information that I needed to in one chapter, I end the chapter.**

**Bel Air Wolf - I'm glad you like it.**

**goldenlioness1102 – Okay...this story IS a Hermione/Voldemort story, HOWEVER, there is a tad bit of a Hermione/Draco pairing in this chapter. Just to clear that up for you. **

**ladeportista4 – I'm glad you like my idea. It's one of my more clever ones, I think, about a Hermione/Voldie pairing without going into the cliché time-turner fics.**

**twitchy-tennisplayer – I'm happy you like it. And yes...All Hail Voldemort!**

**Snow-Fairie – I'm sorry that the chapters are so short. It is, however, as I told Warg...when I feel that all of the information that I need in a chapter is in there, I end the chapter. I'm not entirely sure on this, but the chapters SHOULD get longer as I go on.**

**Mereret – I'll try to get some background on that Horcrux search in there...promise. And...your friends are evil. Throw a piece of wadded up paper at them.**

**Kyro – I'm glad you like it! I love this pairing too...I'm constantly in mourning that there aren't enough of these stories out there.**

**wordwiz8121 – Who says he's compassionate? Of course you're going to be compassionate with someone who you enjoy speaking to...I mean, let's think about this. If you actually enjoy conversing with someone, you're not going to want to piss them off. Especially if you don't enjoy conversing with many people.**

****

_A thousand apologies for the shortness of these chapters! The next chapter is much longer, I promise! Well...perhaps not much longer, but it is longer! I'm hoping to begin getting the chapters longer and longer with each update...especially as we move out of the trivial stuff and towards the Final Battle. Yes, there will be a Final Battle...even in a Hermione/Voldemort fic, there is no way around that._

_**Yours,**_

_**Allison**_

**Chapter 4**

_**Perhaps, my dear, it would be better if you actually paid attention in class? After all, that is the best way to learn.**_

_I know the information already, Professor Barkman would just confuse me. Remember? She doesn't know Wormwood from Sandalwood. Nor does she know Polyjuice from Pumpkin Juice. Most of us have to get tutors to pass this class. Besides, she thinks I'm paying attention._

_**Do I dare ask how you managed that?**_

_I'm ambidextrous, Vlad. I can use both hands equally well. Most of the staff knows this, and so they think nothing of it when I'm holding...say...a quik quotes quill in one hand? And a normal quill in the other? How do they know which one is the quik quotes quill? How do they know which hand I'm truly writing with?_

_**Brilliant, my dear. Brilliant.**_

_Of course. Oh! Got to go! My crush is coming over! You know, the one I told you about earlier, who I thought liked me too? Maybe he'll finally ask me to Hogsmeade!_

"Blanco." Hermione stated, wiping the parchment clean and shoving it into her book bag as Draco approached. The mission had gone well, though not as well as they'd hoped. The horcrux was well guarded. They'd had to abort the mission before they were discovered, and had returned to plan another attempt at it with Hermione laying out their plan of attack. Which was why she was in the library on a Hogsmeade Saturday.

"Hermione...would you...like to..."

"Go to Hogsmeade with you?" Hermione asked, after about a minute full of Draco's stuttering.

"Yes!" He said.

"I'd love to." Hermione smiled. He returned it and the two Heads quietly walked out of the classroom, smiling and chatting away. Somewhere miles away, snake-like hazel eyes stared into nothingness, stricken. The snake in the corner let out a hiss as he stood up with a roar of rage, waving his hand and flinging the desk into the wall. Snatching up a vase nearby, he flung it at the door.

"My Lord? Is there something..." Bellatrix poked her head into the door.

"LEAVE!" He roared, and a book slammed into the wall inches from Bellatrix's beautiful head. Her eyes widened as she yanked her head out and slammed the door shut behind her. Pointing his wand at the parchment that had fluttered to the floor, he roared "INCENDIO!" And it burst into flames as he dropped to his knees, his rage spent. The only one he'd ever let close to him...and now this. He didn't even know why it upset him...she was just a stupid fool girl, after all.

**oohvoldiesangrywonderwhyhmwaitimtheautheriknowwhyheh**

Hermione let out a shriek and dropped her book bag as it burst into flames. Muttering a quick charm, she doused the flames and reached into the bag, pulling out the charred green paper and staring at it for a long moment. Draco, Ron, and Harry stared at her, afraid of what she'd do. Rather than throwing a fit like they were afraid of, they heard a very soft voice come from beneath the curtain of sleek hair.

"He set it on fire..." Her voice sounded like it was rimmed with tears. Draco touched her shoulder gently and she yanked away, grabbing her book bag and running for her room. Grabbing a piece of parchment, she snatched it up.

_Vlad-_

_Why did you set the parchment on fire? Was it an accident? I can send you another if you'd like...but I'll need another piece of green paper as well...as with the writing, when you set your piece on fire, my own burst into flames. Let me know shortly._

_Love,_

_Tigerlily_

Whistling her three-toned whistle, she handed the addressed letter to Riddler, who flew off immediately- sensing his mistress' distress. Knowing that she could do little until Vlad replied and that there was little use in moping about until then, she moved to the common room where Draco was waiting and wiped her eyes quickly. He looked at her, a bit worried, and she forced a smile. "So. Are we going to Hogsmeade or what?"

"Are you sure you're up to it, Hermione? Whatever that parchment was, it must have been important for you to be so upset..." Draco said, slowly. Hermione had to smile at his concern. The two had grown very close over the past few weeks, and it showed. She moved forward and slipped an arm through his.

"Nonsense. There's no use crying over spilt pumpkin juice, after all. Let's go." She grinned, statching up a coin purse before tugging him for the door. With a soft laugh, he followed. They slipped out of their portrait and began the walk down to Hogsmeade. As they walked, they discussed things quietly...from classes to the war to what they wanted to do when they graduated.

"I'm thinking of going into potions." Hermione said. "I'm tutoring very literally all of Professor Barkman's students now as it is, and it would take only a few months for me to take the needed tests granting me the title of Potions Mistress."

"We also need a Transfiguration teacher." Draco pointed out. "You're one of the youngest Animagi that I know."

"I was a bit late in figuring that one out, I'm afraid." Hermione said. "Harry's dad did it when he was in his third year. I didn't complete it until the beginning of this year."

"You were busy concentrating on the war." The blonde said as they walked into the Three Broomsticks, sitting at a back table and ordering butterbeers. "And you've managed to found not only spew-"

"S.P.E.W." Hermione corrected, more out of habit than anything else. She'd abandoned the project at the beginning of the summer, when McGonagall had refused to let herself, Harry, Ron, and Neville into the Order and they'd truly decided to go it alone, as the saying went.

"But also that Dumbledore's Army thing back in Fifth year, as well as set up a headquarters from which we could work without fear of discovery." Draco continued as if she hadn't spoken. "You passed your apparition test on your first try, and you created the charm allowing you to link those parchments like that...so that we could write back and forth without having to pass the note." He stretched. "You're working on a potion to cure lycanthropy- don't look at me like that, of course I know about it. Who do you think clears up your notes for you when you pass out at the table?- and you're one of the few people who's actually made much progress on it. You're like superwoman, Hermione!"

"I'm not." Hermione whispered. "I manage all of that only with the help of the time turner, which breaks about fifty different laws at once, I lose my temper very easily and hex someone at least once a day...I'm not nearly superwoman. How do you know about a muggle superhero anyways?" She asked. He squirmed.

"While my father was out, one weekend one year, I snuck out of the Manor and went into Muggle London. Father was wicked pissed." He said.

"I'm sorry." Hermione said, softly. He shifted, obviously uncomfortable with her sympathy. It bordered too closely on Pity. Hermione cleared her throat. "No, I don't think Transfiguration is the way to go for me. That's more your route than mine. Potions...something about the brewing of a potion is just...it's a wonderful feeling, to me, to know ahead of time what will happen...and then have it actually happen. With a spell, there are too many variables. Too much can go wrong. With potions, as long as you follow the directions, nothing is going to go wrong...save for in the worst or strictest circumstances."

"I was hoping you'd say that. I'm fond of Transfiguration, myself." Draco admitted, and Hermione laughed. They continued along this line for some time before sliding out of their booth. Draco wouldn't let Hermione pay, which frustrated her slightly. ("Draco, you're not exceedingly rich anymore, remember! Your father-" He'd cut her off with a glare.)

As they walked back to the castle, they continued talking quietly. When they arrived at their common room and prepared to part ways, he leaned in slowly and brushed his lips across hers, softly and tenderly. It was a wonderful, gentle, beautiful kiss...but there was something missing for Hermione. Apparently, Draco felt the same, because when he stepped back, he looked extremely uncomfortable.

"Draco...I...this...I mean...it's just...not right." Hermione said, almost in tears as she tried to explain herself. To her surprise, he slumped with relief.

"Oh thank god. I mean...not that it's not...I mean...just...me either." He stuttered out. "You're a wonderful, beautiful person but..."

"There's just..."

"I mean it's just that there's..."

"Something missing." They said together, before bursting out laughing and hugging each other.

"Goodnight, Grange." He said, grinning.

"Night Ferret." Hermione grinned back, ducking his playful mock-punch and running to her room. Inside, she saw Riddler sitting on the bedpost, looking ruffled. Frowning, she noticed as she drew closer that his feathers were singed. "Riddler? What happened?" The owl hooted softly, shivering in fright. Moving to him, she took the letter from him and noticed that he pressed himself against her breast, as if she were a safe point.

Wrapping an arm around him comfortingly, she held the owl until his shuddering stopped before carrying him to the roost in the corner and digging out some owl food for him, setting it within easy reach before walking to her desk and lighting a lamp, sitting down and drawing out the letter.

_Decietful witch-_

_It seems that I was mistaken in thinking of you as anything more than a trollup. You are just like every other decietful, lying, traitorous bitch. I cannot believe that I was drawn into your spell...into thinking that you cared a wit what I felt or thought. I will not make this mistake again, and you shall not recieve another letter from me. I hope playing with me like this has made these past few months enjoyable, Mudblood, because I never wish to hear from you again._

_Don't send this damned owl to me again!_

_Broken_

"Oh Riddler...what have I done?" Hermione whispered, staring silently at the letter.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of Ms. Rowling's wonderful creations. Nor do I own any of the various songs that may be presented throughout the length of this fanfiction. The various songs will be named at the end of the fic, as well as in the chapter within which they lie.**

**A big thanks and a shout out goes to:**

**  
screwtheperfectlife – Yes, Voldie's jealous. As for the falling part...you'll have to wait and see, won't you?**

**Bel Air Wolf – I'm glad you enjoy it**

**mchs-angel05 – I'm happy you like it.**

**dramaqueen73190 – Yes...yes he is!**

**Evil Crazy Willow – I'm glad you enjoy it so much. And yeah...the last letter was a bad one.**

**Idancer – Yes, it could very well go either way...but I already have a Hermione/Draco story going and I try not to keep two stories of the same pairing...I'd mix them up in a heartbeat.**

**TheWolfInTheShadows – Yes, I am evil. Glad you noticed.**

**CareBearErin – I love Hermione/Voldemort stories as well. It's one of my favorite pairings...along with Hermione/Snape and Hermione/Lucius pairings. And I'm glad you like the way that this story is set up...it's one of my favorite stories to write...but it's a bit slow now because it's not one of those love at first letter stories.**

**bloodwitch88 – Here's your update**

**SailorHecate – I know what you mean. This is one of my favorite pairings...but it's also an extremely hard pairing to write and (if not gone about correctly) to read. I hope that you continue to enjoy this as I continue writing it.**

**sssilvia – Thank you.**

**Pink-Panther-Princess - Why do I get the feeling that you reviewed only to get me to update? Wait...that's what everyone does. Ah well...here you go.**

_**For those of you who think that Voldemort is out of character, I seriously suggest reading the Author's Note in Chapter 4.**_

_**Yours,**_

_**Allison**_

**Chapter 5**

It had been two weeks since her last letter. Two weeks since she had sent Riddler to him, asking if he'd set the parchment on fire by accident. Two weeks since the owl had returned, frightened out of his wits and unable to do more than tremble on his perch. He'd recovered, of course, but he'd refused to take the returning letter back to Vlad. So she had simply given up and thrown herself- with a vengeance- back into her other work. She was adding ingrediants to a variation of the Wolfsbane potion when the door to the Room of Requirements swung open and Harry walked in with his arm around Ginny.

"So you two finally worked things out, did you?" Hermione forced a smile. "Good. We don't need you two distracted all of the time thinking about each other and how best to avoid each other's gaze when near each other. However, you know my policy. Just like Neville and Luna can't go out on missions together, neither can the two of you. That makes our team fairly lopsided."

"It would have been so much bloody easier if McGonagall had let us join the Order of the Phoenix." Ron muttered from one corner, where he was working on an essay.

"Well, she didn't." Harry said, darkly. "Don't see why, I'm only the bloody Savior of the Wizarding World." He had been succombing to sarcasm and dark thoughts more and more often lately. Hermione could only hope that Ginny would help him with that. She, herself, had precious little to smile about as it was.

_Cut it out, Granger_. She reprimanded herself, as she was doing more and more often these days. _He told you not to send Riddler back...you'd best not send the owl back unless you want him to be hurt...or worse._ She bit back a curse as she leaned over, continuing to slice up the ingrediants for the potion. It wasn't much later that Draco, Luna, and Neville arrived. They all took seats on the overstuffed couch that curved around one particular chair that was Hermione's alone. Nobody dared say anything until her attention turned back to them, because she was very volatile when working on potions. Indeed, she'd been working on an apprenticeship in her spare time...with a Potions Master originally from Italy, of course. She wouldn't trust Beatrice Barkman to brew a first year's potion correctly, let alone the advanced potions required for an apprenticeship.

Glancing at the timer to one side, she weighed the chopped ingrediants one last time...completely ignoring the other people in the room...before lifting the small bowl full of ingrediants over the cauldron, scooping the ingrediants to one side of the bowl and waiting, her muscles tense and eager. As the bell sounded on the timer, the ingrediants were already falling into the liquid beneath. Snatching up a long, expensive stirring stick, Hermione counted under her breath with the seconds...never missing or rushing a second as she counted to ten before stirring ten times clock-wise...one complete circle per second...and ten times counter-clockwise...one complete circle per every two seconds. As soon as she'd completed the last motion and pulled her stirring stick from the liquid, the potion turned a brilliant ruby red in color.

Checking the temperature one last time, Hermione wiped her forehead on a sleeve and very carefully turned down the heat. Checking her notes one last time, she made a red checkmark beside the steps that she had just finished before looking at the next step and setting her timer. Looking up, she glanced around the room and seemed almost surprised to see everyone else in there with her. They were used to it by now, so they didn't say anything...simply smiled discreetly among themselves as she remembered exactly what they were there for. She then picked up a pile of papers off to the side of her workstation and walked over to them, sitting easily in her chair.

"We can come back later if you need us to, Grange." Draco said, noticing that she'd brought her timer with her.

"No, it's okay. This is important anyways. If it comes down to it, I can take a break to finish the next step of the potion before continuing the meeting." Hermione said, setting the timer on the little table that appeared next to her chair. Studying her notes, she nodded to herself and looked up. "I've done it."

"Done what?" Draco demanded...though the six of them already knew.

"I've worked out the spells that you'll need to get to the Horcrux." She stated, handing them each a crisply written copy of the document in her hand, glancing again at her timer. Draco fought back a laugh. She would be a good Potions Mistress. As the other six studied the list of complicated spells that they would need, Hermione stood and walked back to her workstation, beginning to prepare the next ingrediant...the one that would either turn the potion dangerously unstable or- possibly- create the antidote for Lycanthropy that Hermione had been seeking to work on. She began to prepare the careful blend of ingrediants that she had asked Hagrid, Remus Lupin, and her Potions Master to get to her, weighing out the perfect porportions.

It would be the fourth time she had tried this potion...This time, she would be using a full muggle tablespoon of the Unicorn Blood- freely given by a male Unicorn that Hermione had come across in the Forbidden Forest once when she was in her animagus form. Something had twisted about her transformation...the first time she had transformed...that allowed her to communicate with not only Unicorns, but a number of other creatures- including dragons- as well. She'd explained about her project, and Artemus- the male Unicorn- had agreed to provide a small ammount of blood to her research. It seemed that Unicorn blood- so long as it was given willingly- had many wondrous properties. She'd had to ask him and Hagrid both to go against their basest instincts- Artemus' not to be near a man, and Hagrid's not to touch Unicorn Blood- to get the blood drawn. When it was finished, she had thanked Artemus profusely and had gifted Hagrid with a book on dragons.

Carefully measuring the blood out and pouring it into a tiny bowl, she picked up the vial full of werewolf saliva- which she'd had to gather from Remus on the full of the moon within ten minutes after he'd changed- and measured out a teaspoon of it. Finally, she picked up the final ingrediant to be blended before adding it...basilisk's venom. Frowning, she stuck her tongue out just slightly as she tilted the vial holding it until three drops fell into the mix, making it turn an immediate putrid green. Making a face, she reached over and picked up her expensive stir-stick, swirling the small bowl until the three ingrediants were well mixed- the venom would melt even the highest quality of sticks, her mentor had warned, unless it was in the actual potion. She was aware of everyone's eyes on her this time, but she simply concentrated, tilting the bowl until a simple tremor in her arm would have spilt it into the potion too early.

The bell rang, and the liquid was already halfway between the lip of the bowl and the potion. The moment that the last drop had landed, Hermione took one deep breath and counted, unerringly, to five. She then plunged the stirring stick into the liquid and began to stir. Two clockwise, one counterclockwise, three stirs per second altogether. The timer had magically reset itself this time, and Hermione didn't even pause in her stirring to wipe away the sweat on her brow. After one full minute, the timer rang and Hermione pulled the stirring stick smoothly out. Setting it to one side, she paused to wipe her forehead with her sleeve. "What do you think, Draco?" She asked as if nothing had happened, beginning to read over her instructions, making a few more small marks with her red quill.

"I think it's a good thing you're going into Potions and not me...I'd never be able to do this..." Draco said.

"No no no..." She waved the quill at him. "About the spells."

"Oh. Well, they're a little on the dark side...but considering what we have to work with, that's to be expected." He was the dark spell and transfiguration expert of the group, Harry was the Defense expert, Ginny was very good at keeping the peace, Ron was hot tempered and quick-reflexed from being a keeper and due to his red hair, and Luna and Neville were both very good in complicated, coreographed maneuvars that confused the hell out of their opponents and made it difficult for anyone to get near them. Hermione was, of course, the brains. She was also the potions expert, the research expert, and the one who planned out each mission. Due to this, however, she was unable to go on any missions...which was a source of great irritation for her.

"Okay..." She was already reading through the next step and chopping the next ingrediant with practiced ease. "Guys, I've been thinking." She said absently as she sliced.

"Yes?" Harry asked.

"We should have at least one more full team...they don't have to go on missions regularly, like you guys do, but it would be a good idea to have a backup team for the backup. Hermione smoothly turned the ingrediants and began chopping them once more, width-wise...she was the only one of the group, of course, who had the training and the expertise to know exactly what they were, but they were a strange kind of bulbous root.

"That's actually not a bad idea." Harry said. "Did you have anyone in mind?"

"Yes." The rhythmic strokes of the blade were hypnotic. "Pansy Parkinson. Draco tells me that she is sitting on the fence, but her skills in both Charms and the Dark Arts will come in handy...that way we don't have to stretch Draco so thinly." She weighed the chopped ingrediants before they, too, went into the potion. A few quick stirs and it turned into a clear liquid. Where the potion was bubbling and popping from the trio of blended ingrediants, it immediately fell still at the addition of this latest ingrediant. Hermione checked the temperature once more to make sure that it hadn't spiked before she reached for the final ingrediant in the potion.

"It shouldn't be too entirely difficult to convince her." Draco said, mildly. "Who else? We need one more for a full team counting you...ideally, we need two more."

Hermione was busy grinding the final ingrediant into dust to answer immediately. When she did, her voice was hesitant. "Blaise Zabini." The effect was immediate and expected. Ron and Harry both cursed and Ginny threw up her hands in disgust. Neville's jaw dropped. Luna and Draco were the only two who remained silent and impassive, watching their impromptu leader for her reasoning. "He's almost as good a flier as Harry, he comes with the Dark Arts knowledge of a Slytherin whose parents are close to You-Know...Voldemort..." She forced herself to say the name, continuing to grind the ingrediants.

"A perfect spy." Draco said, softly. Harry swore again.

"Can he be trusted?" Ginny was the one who directed the question, turning to look at Draco. The blonde Slytherin hesitated for several long moments before speaking.

"I am not sure." He admitted, finally, looking apologetically at Hermione. She didn't look his way...as she was too busy grinding away at a particularly stubborn piece of Dragon Scale...so he continued. "He has...aided...Hermione in her work to keep the Slytherins off of my back. He has always done it discreetly, however," he added hastily. "and he never truly gave any hint to his true loyalties."

Harry was thinking it over. The others could see the wheels turning in his mind. Where she stood grinding the scales, Hermione weighed the perfect powder that she had thus far before silently continuing to grind on another scale. Finally, the Boy Who Lived spoke. "It **would** be ideal to have a spy who could help us...but without knowing Zabini's true loyalties, it could just as easily backfire..." All of them- Hermione excluded- nodded...remembering Dumbledore's death that spring. The brunette behind her cauldron silently poured some more powder onto the scale before taking a small scoop and taking off a minute ammount. Double-checking the weight, she lifted the small golden tray free of the scale and, watching her watch for a few seconds, poured the ground up scales in in a slow, steady stream. It took nearly five minutes for the entire ammount that the directions called for- small as that ammount was- to slip into the clear potion, turning it murky.

Picking up a separate stirring stick- this one silver- Hermione began once more counting each stroke, her eyes narrowed slightly in concentration as the potion turned milk-white before shifting in a rapid succession...blood red, puke green, purple, and finally...wolf gray. The others only now noticed that she exhaled harshly, standing back and studying the cauldron for a few moments in silence. Her colleagues stared at her...afraid to interrupt her. When she finally let out a war whoop and did a small happy dance, they blinked in surprise before she glanced around quickly and snatched up a silver ladle.

"Nevermind the discussion about Zabini. It can wait. Harry...owl Remus. The full moon is tomorrow night and we've no time to waste!" She began bottling the potion, labelling it with a flourish. "Ginny...would you do me a favor and owl Master Feleti? Thanks." She watched Ginny run off and felt a small spark enter her chest for the first time in two weeks. If this worked, she would have to tell him. First things first, however...Baldasarre Feleti would have to examine the potion before Remus was allowed to ingest it...and only after monitoring the werewolf closely for the next several nights would they know for sure.

It was an hour or so before the fireplace in one corner roared green to allow first an Italian wizard who was tall and slender, a single black Captain Hookish mustache all that distinguished him, and then Remus Lupin himself- looking green at the proximity of the Full moon- to step through. Hermione was still giddy, though much of her excitement had faded into practicality, and she handed her mentor a vial of the potion, which he uncapped and sniffed. "Are you sure this will not be poisonous for him?" He asked.

"If it is, I have several silver neutralizing potions nearby...and that's what I want you here for." Hermione explained. After a long hesitation, her mentor nodded sharply and looked to Remus.

"It smells okay. I will do one more test before you take it, to be sure, but I believe it is safe." He stated. "It is up to you."

"I'll do it." Remus said, immediately.

"Are you sure?" Hermione- now that her excitement had worn off- was more than a little nervous. Her former professor smiled encouragingly at her.

"Nobody that I know can make a potion like you can, Hermione, with the exception, perhaps, of Severus Snape...no offense, Baldasarre."

"None taken, Remus. I have long since acknowledged Severus' superiority in this field. However, our Hermione- should her potion prove successful- will have surpassed him." Feleti said, smirking.

"Of course, of course." Remus said, smiling. "Well? Run your tests while Harry and Draco begin to set up my cage." He motioned to the silver cage that had appeared in one corner of the room.

"We're very sorry for the neccesity of this, Professor." Draco said quietly as he and Harry escorted Remus to the cage and inside.

"It is completely understandable, Draco." Remus reassured him. Sitting down in the chair within the cage, he watched as Baldasarre tested the potion with a few small things to insure its stability before walking to the cage and handing it through the bars. Remus silently took the vial and chugged it.

**hahthoughtyouweregoingtogettoseethereactiondidya?**

_Vlad-_

_I'm so so sorry for this, I know you said not to write, but I couldn't help myself! I've done it! I can't very well tell you what I've done, because it would be giving away who I am, but I've truly done it! Oh I wish I could share this with you. It's like all of the happiness has drained out of me, these past two weeks. Oh Vlad...I don't know what I said to upset you...it was about my crush, wasn't it? Well...that didn't work out. It just...didn't._

_I'm sorry...I shouldn't have written. I'm going to mail this now...before I lose my nerve._

_Tigerlily_

Voldemort stared coldly into the darkness as he put down the letter. He looked over towards the owl that was perched on the very outer edge of the window sill...Riddler wouldn't let Voldemort near him...he'd had to ask Nagini to fetch the letter. She had- of all things- laughed at him as she'd retrieved the letter and brought it to him. He had no doubt that if he'd even flinched in the direction of his wand, Riddler would leave without waiting for a reply of any kind.

Sighing, the Dark Lord picked up the letter once more. It was obvious, near the end, that she'd begun crying. Despite himself, he felt a twinge go through his chest at the knowledge. Indeed, if he was truthful with himself- which he rarely allowed himself to be- life as a demented maniac had been rather dull and unfulfilling during the past two weeks. He turned his snake-like hazel eyes to the owl perched on the window sill and closed his eyes for a moment, keeping his face studiously neutral. Reaching into the drawer, he pulled out a green piece of parchment.

**andbacktohogwartsblahthatwasarathershortvoldiescene**

Hermione sighed softly as she cleaned up the last of the liquor bottles that signified the celebration that had been held in honor of the fact that Remus hadn't turned into a werewolf at the full moon. She could have let the house elves do it, she knew, but she felt that it was a better idea for her to do it herself...especially considering the fact that she'd just sent her owl off to what would likely be his doom. Knowing that she wouldn't be able to rest until Riddler was safely back on his perch in her study, she threw herself into the task of cleaning the Room of Requirements without magic.

An owl's hoot came from the open window and she looked up to see Riddler standing there, looking none the worse for the wear, with a letter in his beak. Walking to him, she ran a hand down his sleek back and gave him an owl treat as she took the letter, letting him fly to his perch. Silently, she moved into her study and sat down, opening the envelope and pulling out the letter. She frowned, at first, staring at the blank piece of parchment for a long moment before reaching into the envelope and finding the tiny slip of parchment inserted in as well.

_Forgive me?_

She stared at those two simple words for long moments as the first truly happy smile since she'd gotten the letter from him screaming at her graced her fair features.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of Ms. Rowling's wonderful creations. Nor do I own any of the various songs that may be presented throughout the length of this fanfiction. The various songs will be named at the end of the fic, as well as in the chapter within which they lie.**

**A big thanks and a shout out goes to:**

**sssilvia – I'm glad you enjoy it. Hehe.**

**goldenlioness1102 – I'm glad you like the way this pairing is turning out. It's my first time writing this particular pairing and I was a bit worried.**

**Firesblood – Here's your update. I'm glad you enjoy my idea.**

**sweet-essence03 – I'm glad you enjoy it. And of course he was creepy! That's the entire point! I'm just a sadistic maniac and happen to be obsessed with him.**

**mchs-angel08 – I'm glad you like it.**

**screwtheperfectlife – Lol! I'm glad you enjoy it so much!**

**Bel Air Wolf – Another update for your viewing pleasure!**

_**For those of you who think that Voldemort is out of character, I seriously suggest reading the Author's Note in Chapter 4.**_

_**Yours,**_

_**Allison**_

**Chapter 6**

**_You seem happy, Grange._** Hermione read in Professor Barkman's class the next day. **_I take it mystery man is speaking to you again?_**

_Nosey._ She accused him, though nothing could keep the smile from her face. _Yes, he is._

_**I'm happy for you, Grange. If anyone deserves their prince charming, you do.**_

_He's hardly "Prince Charming."_ Hermione laughed softly to herself. She fell silent quickly when she saw Professor Barkman look at her swiftly. _He's more of a...I don't know._

**_Not a traditional Knight in Shining Armor then?_** This handwriting was different, and Hermione found her eyes drawn towards the partnered blonde and black haired boys at the front of the room. Grinning as she saw them have a tiny tug-o-war with the quill, she continued to write.

_You could say that, Harry. You know...if you wanted one of my insta-note parchments, all you had to do was ask._

**_That's what I told him._** Draco's handwriting once more. **_But does the prat listen? Noooo._**

**He seems to forget that I'm sitting right here. **Harry's writing stated.

_Both of you stop bickering. Honestly, one might think you were dating with the way you carry on._ There was a long silence at the beginning of the classroom. _Guys? I was KIDDING!_

**_Thank god!_** Draco wrote. **_Weaselette would have killed me!_**

_I know, Ferret, I know._

_**Enough about us, Grange...tell us about this mistery guy!**_

**Yeah, Hermione!**

_It's not fair if you two gang up...but alright. He challenges me...mentally...to be the best I can be. We know so much about each other- save for the largest of details...the ones that could give us away- that it's just been witty banter for the past couple of letters. I know he's probably insanely older than I am...but I think I may like him, guys._

**_It's understandable..._** There was a long line on the parchment before Harry took over...Hermione made a mental note to cast the same spell on the parchment between herself and Draco that she had on the one between herself and Vlad.

**Blimey, Mye! I thought you knew who he was! He could be Voldemort!**

_I've told you before, Harry!_ Hermione wrote...irritated, by this time. _Voldemort is too demented to take time out of his day to write to a bleeding seventeen-year-old mudlbood._

**DON'T CALL YOURSELF THAT!**

_**I AGREE WITH POTTER!**_

**YOU'RE AS GOOD AS ANY PUREBLOOD!**

_**AND AS HOT!**_

**IF NOT BETTER!**

_**AND HOTTER!**_

**Look at Professor Barkman! She's...** There was another line where Draco had snatched back the quill.

_**Not as hot!**_

**So stupid she can't even...**

_**Wear Makeup!**_

**Tell the difference between...**

_**Foundation and Blush!**_

**Sandalwood and...**

_**Lavender!**_

**Wormwood!**

Hermione watched the exchange with no shortage of amusement, biting her tongue hard and clapping her hands over her mouth firmly to avoid laughing out loud at the antics of the two boys at the front of the class. As the class was a NEWTs class, Neville wasn't in it...so Hermione found herself partnered with Ron, more often than not, trying to make sure he didn't botch a potion. She rolled her eyes at the boys at the head of the class, beginning to write a reply. _It's not what I call myself...it's what Vlad calls me._ She explained.

At first, she wasn't sure if they'd answer. Then...

_**I'll kill him.**_

**He can get in line.**

_**Nobody has the right to call you a mudblood, Grange!**_

_You used to._

_**I was stupid.**_

_Speaking of stupid...how does a riteous bigot pureblood like yourself know what foundation and blush are, Malfoy?_

_**Uh...My...mother?**_

_Try again. Harry, when he gets that little twitch at the corner of his right eye, he's lying._

_**I am...wait...how did you know that?**_

_Observation. Now stop evading the question._

_**Um...well...I have a cousin who told me**_

**He's lying.**

_**Damn you and your observational skills, Grange!**_

_Answer the question, Ferret._

_**Fine! Blaise is a crossdresser!**_

**STRIKE TWO!**

_Ferret..._ Despite herself, Hermione was amused at Draco's pathetic attempt at evasion and lying. He wasn't the best liar in the world...especially when he'd been caught once already.

_**You're all out to get me.**_

_Damned Straight!_

**_I'm bisexual, alright! I know these things because they interest me!_** Hermione was shocked into stillness, staring at the paper in front of her. **_There. Now you know. Don't write to me for the rest of class, Grange!_** She knew, then, that she'd made him mad by pushing. She honestly hadn't thought that it was that big of a deal. A chime- the muggle song I can't Help Falling in Love with You- played in her ear and she smiled, wiping the parchment that she used to correspond with Draco clean and taking out the signature green piece of parchment that was Vlad's calling card.

_**Hello, dear Tigerlily. How is Potions on this fine morning?**_

_It's okay...I'm not even paying attention._ She confessed. _A pair of my friends up at the front of the room are writing to me as well._

_**And here I was under the impression that you were a stickler for the rules. Our continued Owl correspondance proves that much.**_

_I'm being graded on it! Headmistress McGonagall is fiercely grading us to try to force us to make friends in other countries!_

_**I hate to break it to you, Tigerlily, but I'm not exactly in another country.**_

_So? You're outside of the school, aren't you? It's all the same thing._

**randomwordsindicatingscenebreak**

He chuckled at her obvious defiance. He'd learned early on during their conversations that Tigerlily- while being very fierce and powerful- had a respect for authority that could be crippling to her abilities. He intended to break her of that, at the earliest convenience.

_My dear, I would hardly call this the same thing as out of the country. We're in the same country, the same time zone...for all you know, we may even be in in the same county as each other._ He wrote, admonishingly.

**_Okay, so I bent the rules a bit. Sue me._** She responded immediately. **_If you wish me to seek someone else with which to converse, I will do so at once!_**

_Come now, my dear._ He wrote, the corners of his lips curling upwards despite themselves. She was intriguing, his Tigerlily.

The thought brought him up short. Since when had the fiery witch on the other end of Riddler's flights and the spell that she had concocted to allow them to converse like this become **his**? It was an unfathomable thought...he, the Dark Lord, simply did not harbor affections for anyone. Least of all an untried witchling whose idea of good and evil was still refined by those that told her what to think. The twit was brilliant, he'd give her that much, but she'd made it very clear that she held the- in her mind- clear, perfectly defined line between good and evil to the highest regards. He had little chance at swaying her, he knew.

And yet...

And yet, somehow...at some point during their lengthy, meaningless- and yet, meaningful all at the same time- writings, he had come to harbor an undeniable attraction for the brain of the young witch on the other side. For the stimulating, mind-boggling works of art that their minds combined could create. She was an embodiment of everything he stood against, the staunch, steadfast, terrific supporter of what she held to be 'good.'

She was infuriatingly single-minded, loyal as a blasted Hufflepuff, brave as one of those mindless, fool Gryffindors- she had, after all, taken up a correspondance with someone who could very well be (and was) the Dark Lord Voldemort himself- Smarter than any Ravenclaw that he'd ever had the displeasure of meeting...and yet...her true talents, he sensed, rested within the house of Snakes. The dark, forbidden house that good little girls and boys did not enter...for they would be eaten alive. She would have thrived in Slytherin...and yet he felt certain that Tigerlily was not one of Salazar's chosen Snakes. She was too pure. Her ideals and dreams were too alive...too bright...to be a Snake's. It also went without mentioning that she would not have indulged in such playful, witty banter as she did should she have been a Snake. Slytherins had simply too much at stake, with their mind games and intrigue...the rigid social structure within the house itself...to indulge themselves in such a childish way.

**_I was kidding, Vlad._** She always seemed to know when he was upset. Even if it wasn't with her, she would apologize the moment she sensed his unrest. One time, Severus had stormed in and out within ten minutes, leaving Voldemort in a terrible rage. Ten minutes later, Riddler had arrived on his window sill bearing a letter from Tigerlily asking about his health.

_I know._ He wrote. _You had best be getting back to your class, Tigerlily._

**_Have I upset you again, Vlad?_** He sensed her worry and turned his hazel eyes to the window. **_If I have...I'm dreadfully sorry._**

_You have not upset me, Tigerlily._ He assured her. _My thoughts are simply restless this evening._

_**If you're sure...**_

_I am. Now get gone with you, missy._ He wiped the parchment clean and placed it in his desk, not a moment too soon.

"My lord..." Severus said, walking in. "Bellatrix and I have returned from Marus Orius. The horcrux is destroyed..." He flinched back, anticipating the blow. It never came.

"I see. Who destroyed it?" Voldemort let his eyes narrow...conveying his immense displeasure to his supposively-faithful follower.

"We are not sure, My Lord. There were three different sets of footprints entering the cave...and three separate sets leaving. They left no indication of their identity...or of their whereabouts." Severus bowed fearfully.

"I see." Voldemort kept his temper even then, his snake-like hazel eyes boring into the so-called faithful servant. Without warning, he shifted, his wand coming to his long, thin, pale hand. "Crucio!" As the black-haired potion master writhed in anguish, Voldemort let a full-fledged smirk of glee break out over his features. Watching the man before him suffer, he pondered this newest event. It was unfortunate...but he knew without a doubt that Potter would never find Nagini...and without destroying Nagini, Potter would never successfully destroy Voldemort.

A conversation with Tigerlily...and an opportunity to torture someone. All within one hour.

It was going to be a wonderful day.


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of Ms. Rowling's wonderful creations. Nor do I own any of the various songs that may be presented throughout the length of this fanfiction. The various songs will be named at the end of the fic, as well as in the chapter within which they lie.**

**Lesbian-Lover – I'm glad you enjoy it.**

**screwtheperfectlife – Well, he's not a demented maniac for nothing, you know.**

**Rylee Riddle – He knows that she's a mudblood. It would seem suspicious for Voldemort to be searching for the identity of a 7th Year Mudblood.**

**dramaqueen73190 – I'll consider your suggestion. I don't know for sure what I'll do. I do know that the story is actually drawing fairly close to its end, though.**

**Gemini-2006 – I'm glad you enjoy this so much. I'm flattered that you think that this is the best Harry Potter fic that you've read, but I would probably have to disagree. Not just out of modesty's sake, either. I have read a few really, really good fics.**

**CareBearErin – He pretty much already knows...he's just mad because she backed him into a corner. A mild spat, nothing more.**

**googlebear – I'm glad you enjoyed it.**

**Maugin – Well…I don't know for sure if I would say that...because it's common knowledge that I'm insane. Shh! Don't tell!**

**little mimi – I'm glad you enjoyed it.**

**keeper of the heart – Read what? The fic or Hermione/Voldie in general? The fic is new...and Hermione/Voldemort fics are unpopular with a lot of people. It angers me, because I love them.**

**blackwolfs900 – Thank you. I'm glad you enjoy it. **

_**Sorry for the lateness of this update. I've actually had it ready for a little while now, but I've been putting it off to catch back up on Spinning Bottles, my Hermione/Sirius story. Also, this will probably be my last update until next week, due to finals. Sorry!**_

_**Yours,**_

_**Allison**_

**Chapter 7**

Hermione frowned as she went over the letter she had just recieved from one of the spies that she had inside of the ranks of the deatheaters. Sir Snake had first owled her at the beginning of the summer with a tiny message stating only "_Look for my next_." Since then, he had been writing to her regularly. She supposed that he thought that she was giving all of the information to McGonagall, at first, for his letters had been rather guarded. After a short time, however, when it had become apparent that McGonagall knew nothing about the letters being sent to Hermione, he had begun to include more detailed information. Nothing that could bring his loyalty into question with Voldemort, of course, but information all of the same.

He had just inadvertently given her the location of Nagini the snake.

_Dragon Rider_

_I have recently returned from a trip to the cave Marus Orius. The cave was utterly in shambles from the spellwork of three witches and/or wizards. Spells, however, will be of little help in the Rainforest._

_Sir Snake_

Dragon Rider. Hermione fought back a smile. He couldn't possibly have known her animagus form, and yet there it was...plain as day. The entire letter was cryptic and to the point...as all of his letters were. Marus Orius must have been the cave in which the team had located the horcrux. That sentence was plain enough. The second sentence was a well-hidden compliment on the wandwork of Harry, Luna, and Draco. The third...now that was the interesting one. Nagini originated from the Amazon Rainforest...it made sense that Voldemort would hide her in the very place from which she came.

Burning the letter as per her agreement with Sir Snake, Hermione walked out of her room and down through the common room, heading towards the Room of Requirements. She was still lost in her thoughts and so didn't notice that she was being followed until she was being held against the wall by Goyle, while Crabbe drew back an arm to punch her.

**peterpiperpickedapeckofpickledpeppers**

Hermione leaned heavily on the wall as the doorway to the Room of Requirements appeared and she spoke through the blood that she was sure remained in her mouth. "Arimaeus, Barimaeus, Cerulaeus. Hermione." As the door slid open, she stumbled inside and was met with a roar of outrage. Biting back a groan, she straightened and watched the scene unfolding within the room. Pansy was lunging at Luna, who yelped and scrambled aside. On a second look, it became obvious that Pansy wasn't so much lunging _at_ Luna as she was lunging _away_ from Ron, who had quite obviously just put a handful of...something...down the back of Pansy's shirt.

"WEASLEY! YOU'RE GOING TO PAY FOR THAT! FROGS DOWN MY SHIRT! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU THINKING?" Pansy squealed, dancing around frantically to remove the offending creatures. Ron was doubled over laughing, and so had not noticed Hermione leaning against the wall, glaring as the scene continued unfolding. Ever since they had sworn Pansy, Parvati Patil, and Blaise into the Dragon Riders- so named not only because of Sir Snake's nickname for her but also because out of Herself, Ron, Draco, Harry, Luna, Ginny, and Neville...the only one who wasn't a dragon in animagus form was...ironically...Draco- the trouble had been escalating. Hermione was now officially ready to shove Ron's wand up his ass for pranking Pansy so often. It was excruciatingly obvious that he liked her. While Ron and Pansy glared daggers at each other, the other riders were staring fearfully at the increasingly infuriated Hermione.

"THAT. _IS_.**_ ENOUGH_**!" She roared, wincing as drawing too deep a breath and expelling too much air too forcefully hurt the ribs that Crabbe and Goyle had just finished breaking. Pansy and Ron fell silent immediately, turning to look up at the founder of the Dragon Riders as she slowly walked down the steps and into the room.

"Grange...what's wrong?" Draco was immediately beside her. Harry and Ron weren't too far behind.

"Nothing...I'm fine. Back off, let me breathe!" She snapped at the boys. Stunned, Harry and Ron backed off immediately. Draco, however, wasn't going to le her off the hook that easily. He pulled up 'her' chair for her and helped her into it before slipping off to the couch and sitting. "I've found the snake." She announced. Their faces all perked up. "Now...don't say anything yet. It's a bit more complicated than we had hoped." She stated. "Draco, since you dragged me into this chair without allowing me to retrieve my bookbag and wand, will you grab them for me?" As he moved to comply, she looked at the group gathered before her.

"I daresay we may need another team for this one. Now...don't interrupt me until I've explained why." She said, holding one hand up. Taking her wand from Draco, Hermione paused and stood, waving her wand easily at the empty wall along which the door to her study resided. A map of the Amazon Jungle appeared and Hermione walked slowly towards the map. "Can any of you tell me what this is?" She looked back at them. When nobody spoke up, she nodded. "This is the Amazon Rainforest."

"Blimey..." Harry muttered from behind her, realizing the implications.

"Exactly." Hermione stated. "Now...as we can all apparate, I propose using all of us for this first task in groups of two to make it go by faster..." She pointed the wand at the map once more, pleased with herself for having learnt non-verbal spellcasting so well. A series of blue, green, yellow, purple, and red lines appeared on the map. "This...is the Amazon Rainforest divided into three mile by three mile plots of land. If we put a magical sensor at each corner of each square, we will know the moment that Nagini crosses one and into which plot she moves. However...can anyone tell me the problem with this plan?"

"How the bloody HELL are we going to manage to get all of those sensors up within the three-day-weekend coming up?" Pansy blurted.

"Ah, thank you Pansy." Hermione said mildly. "You've hit the nail on the head, precisely. It is for this reason that I suggest recruiting and swearing in some more members. I know..." She cut off Harry's protests. "That it will be hard to keep this many people in control...which is why we will be recruiting four members this time and among yourselves, you will vote in someone to help me. Not necessarily to be stuck here like I am...but someone to help me keep and enforce the order during meetings and such."

"It's doable...but I don't have the best feeling about it." Draco admitted.

"Think on it. That's all I ask." Hermione stated. "It's a big change. With that many people, we would be working with a group nearly the size of the Order of the Phoenix. Which means that it will be harder and harder to avoid detection by Voldemort. We can do it...our headquarters is, thus far, secure. However...christmas break is approaching swiftly. After that, it is only a limited time before we have to find another base of operations. Draco, Harry...you two work together the best for such things...I want you both to keep your eyes open on any further missions."

She looked at her notes for a moment before sighing softly. "Also, I want you all to keep an eye out for Crabbe and Goyle. They're becoming more and more agressive in their...opposition...to our little group. Even if they do not know exactly what it is we do when we disappear, they have worked out that they cannot get into this room without a password, even by following someone, so please watch out." She glanced at her notes once more. "And...that should be it. We'll have another meeting Wednesday night...you should bring a list of people that you feel would do well on this team. Also...to avoid the troubles that we ran into the last time we did this, I suggest you all get together and compile a list rather than compiling a list for each of you. Dismissed." She said.

As the others began to talk among themselves...getting started on the list even then...Hermione smiled and walked into her study to take a few healing potions and write a letter to Vlad.

**ivegotalovelybunchofcoconutsdeedeedeedeedee**

Voldemort stood silently at his window listening to the crickets. It was rather lonely without Nagini around...he'd forgotten just how much he relied on the snake's conversations. Now, he was leaning more and more upon Tigerlily and their correspondance. On edge, he looked towards his desk...waiting with bated breath for the chime to ring in his ear. It never came...and it was only when Riddler swooped by his head...barely missing him...that he remembered that on Sunday Nights, they wrote to each other via Riddler.

_My dear Vlad-_

_I am afraid that circumstances- primarily the fact that I have several broken ribs which the healing potion seems to have missed the first time- will have to keep this letter short. I know you must be dreadfully lonely (ha ha) without me writing to you on the Insta-note parchment, so I figured that I had best send Riddler as soon as possible. Take care, dear one!_

_Love,_

_Tigerlily_

He frowned darkly, wondering how she had broken her ribs. Snatching up a piece of parchment, he wrote a quick response and handed it to Riddler. "Be swift, Riddler." He spoke, softly, resting a gentle hand on the owl's head. It had taken about a hundred Owl Treats and much coaxing, but the white owl with his question mark shaped specks trusted him again...if only barely. Riddler gave his cheek an affectionate nip before spreading his white wings and flying off swiftly, leaving Voldemort to sit down and ponder. Tigerlily was an impertinent chit. That was for certain. He was unused to having anyone stand up to him or tell him what they truly thought, so that was a major plus as well. And yet...

And yet, she was staunchly on the side of the light. She proved that time and time again. But she was intoxicating. Something about her drew him in...turned him to mush when he read her letters. Made him fiercely protective of her when she was hurt or sad. A less cynical, less sociopathical man would have said that he fancied her...but Voldemort was Voldemort. He simply didn't fancy people. Primarily not people who opposed him with everything they were.

Primarily not beautiful, smart...oh hell, who was he kidding? He fancied the chit, and there was little that he could say or do to prove to himself otherwise.

Especially not when he wanted to go to her and slaughter whomever had dared injure her.

**theretheyareastandininarowbigonessmallones**

Hermione was sitting on her bed sipping tea and reading when she heard a tap on the window. Looking up, she smiled and moved to let Riddler in, taking the letter from him as he sailed to his perch and landed on it, nipping at some of his food as he looked at her. She opened the letter and pulled it out.

_Dearest Tigerlily_

_I sincerely hope that you feel better soon, my darling. I know that you probably will not feel up to it, but when you recieve this, will you let me know on the Insta-note so that I know that you are in one piece? I cannot help but worry about you...and to be quite honest, I must confess to having some dark thoughts towards whomever or whatever put you in this state._

_Yours_

_Vlad_

Hermione smiled faintly as she read the spiky handwriting. He was upset because she was injured! A feeling blossomed in her heart that was previously unthought of. She had never been one for relationships...especially long distance ones. But perhaps...perhaps...

He challenged her mind...something nobody her own age or directly older than her had done. She knew that, intellectually, they were a good match and she had a feeling that- despite all of his darker thoughts- they were brilliantly matched in all else as well. He had become very important to her in a short ammount of time, and she found herself longing to question him further on some of the theories that they had shared together. Too much of that, however, would mean breaking the rules that McGonagall had laid down...and so she had to remain ignorant.

It was probably better that she didn't have the opportunity to foolishly throw away any semblance of dignity that she retained around him. He didn't need to know that she sat around daydreaming about him, after all, and if he did somehow find out, it would likely just make him decide that she wasn't worth the time, or that he needed to stop 'leading her on.'

Pulling herself out of her thoughts, she walked to her desk and sat down, pulling out her quik quotes quill and setting it to _verbatim_ before setting it and the green parchment on her desk.

"Vlad?" The quill immediately got to work.

**jinglebelljinglebelljinglebellrockjinglebellschimeinjinglebelltime**

**_Vlad?_** He smiled as he settled into the chair to answer her. The writing wasn't hers...which meant that she was likely using a quik quotes quill and simply speaking her answers aloud. She did this from time to time when she'd had a stressfull day.

_Hello, dear Tigerlily._ He wrote. _Now, what exactly happened?_

**_I...fell off of a broom._** She was lying, he knew. She would lie once or twice before caving in to his gentle persuasion.

_Dearest, do you honestly expect me to believe that?_

**_Alright, alright..._** She was caving much more quickly than normal, he realized...surprised. She must have really had it hard that day. **_First, Professor Barkman accidentally-on-purpose dropped one of the heavier cauldrons on my right wrist, so I couldn't write to anyone today since it was broken...still is, more or less..._** He supressed a roar of rage. **_And then one of the many people who despise me for being a mudblood tripped me so that I fell down a set of stairs._** He stood, pacing angrily. There was only one true thing to do...

**_Vlad?_** He moved to the desk and sat.

_I am here, Tigerlily. I felt it better if I blew up something other than this piece of parchment in my rage._ He looked at the toothpick-sized splinters that had once been his bedside table, bemused. _I'm going to encase a charm in my next letter. Do not fear, it will not injure you._

_**What...?**_

_I...simply...I simply care too much about you to allow you to get hurt at random..._ He wrote swiftly, biting his tongue.

**snowinandblowinandbushelsoffun...iwishitwouldsnowhere...**

Hermione felt sure that her heart stopped. "Do you mean that?" She asked, letting the quik quotes quill jet across the parchment. After a moment, she peered over to read.

_**With everything I am, my dear.**_

A thrill went through her from her toes upwards. "I care for you too, Vlad." She whispered. "I'll send Riddler to you in the morning."

_**Good. For now, my love, I suggest you get to sleep.**_

"I will..." She said. "Goodnight, Dear Vlad."

_**Goodnight, Tigerlily.**_


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of Ms. Rowling's wonderful creations. Nor do I own any of the various songs that may be presented throughout the length of this fanfiction. The various songs will be named at the end of the fic, as well as in the chapter within which they lie.**

**A big thanks and a shout out to all of my reviewers! Thank you so much!**

_**Alright guys…for speed's purposes, I won't be naming my reviewers in these next couple of chapters. I'm already working on Chapter Eleven…which is one of the ending chapters of this particular story. Therefore, I already know what's happened about three chapters ahead of this one. I'm trying to get it finished as y'all's Christmas Present, but you never know…it may have to be a New Years present instead.**_

_**Yours,**_

_**Allison**_

**Chapter 8**

_Tigerlily-_

_This Bracelet will allow me to recognize you when we meet, as well as provide protection for you until then. It will alert me and compell me to apparate to your side the moment you are in Mortal Peril._

_Yours Always,_

_Vlad_

Hermione held her wand steadily over Hannah Abbot's brow. The Hufflepuff was kneeling before her...they were tucked away in the room that the Room of Requirements had set up for this purpose. "Do you, Hannah Abbot, swear upon your life, your magic, your wand, and your soul that you will uphold not only the principles, but also the secrecy of the Dragon Riders? That you would utter lies while under Veritaserum rather than reveal its existence? That you will bow to no one and answer to no authority save for the leaders of this order? That you will accept the sacred, secret transformation of your animagus form and use it only to further the purpose of our order? If you would swear to all of this, tap your wand thrice- no more, no less- against this parchment..." She held up the parchment whose list of signatures was growing greater and greater. "And say 'I so swear.'"

Hannah seemed to swallow hard, but she obediently tapped the parchment once...twice...thrice...and whispered in a shaky voice. "I so swear." Immediately, a sketch of Hannah's face appeared on the parchment, along with the words _Hannah Marie Abbot - Hogwarts. Safe._

"You have sworn." Hermione said wearily. The entire process was more draining on her and her own magic than it was on the inductees...since her magic was the only thing keeping their group safe and sound. "You may now lie under the influence of Veritaserum...but only to a certain point...the imperius curse will not hold any sway over your actions...again, to a certain point...and all that is left is to take the potion and whisper the charm to turn you into an animagus. You will be working with both Draco Malfoy and myself on this...as I am the potions expert of this group and he is the transfiguration ace of the whole thing. Also, I suggest you remember this. Arimaeus Barimaeus Cerulaeus. That password will alert the Room that you have obtained the password from me. However, you must also state your first name. No more, no less. The room will identify both your voice and name and you will be allowed in."

She escorted Hannah out of the tiny room- which opened up from a broom closet on the floor above the Room of Requirements, normally- and down a small set of stairs, straight into the Room of Requirements itself. Hannah stopped and gasped, staring around at the room. Hermione supposed that it _had_ changed since the DA practices, two years before. A full half of the room was a library of potion books, while there was another empty shelf that was used whenever Hermione needed maps or other charts. One of the corners in that half of the room comprised of Hermione's workstation, where all of the ingrediants were in a locked, passworded, and warded pantry behing the worktable. The rest of her supplies were currently locked up as well, since she had no need of them, and the workstation was spotless.

On the other end of the room was a circle of mismatched couches and chairs of varying makes, colors, and styles, where they held their meetings. There were a few other general bookshelves piled up around that particular side of the room...the circle only broken by a set of steps leading up to the door that opened up into the hallway. Tucked in one corner of Hermione's library was the door to her study. Pictures of Dumbledore, Harry, and Tom Riddle hung among many others of some of the most famous witches and wizards in history on the walls that weren't impeded with bookshelves.

"It's..."

"It's not much..." Draco spoke from the doorway as he walked in. "But...it's more or less home. Grange has done a great job with the place." He glanced towards the map on the wall...which now had seven different colors of lines. "All of them agreed, then?"

"Yes." Hermione nodded. "Hannah..." When the girl looked at her, Hermione pointed to yet another door in the back of the room. "You'll find your cubby back there. Any project that you have that isn't too big to move will be placed back there. Only you can pull things out of or put things into your box, unless the chart..." Here, Hannah spotted the chart on the door of that particular room that was nearly an exact replica of the parchment that she had touched her wand to before. "says that you are 'dead' or in 'mortal peril.' You will find a Dragon Riders ring in your cubby, as well as a medallion- attached to a chain- showing your two teammates' faces engraved as well as their status."

"How will I know when meetings are called?" Hannah asked. Draco glanced at Hermione, who tapped her Head Girl badge three times.

"Hermione's Head Girl badge has a charm on it. If she is ever gravely injured, taken from Hogwarts' walls unwillingly, or otherwise in peril that she cannot handle, it alerts us. This same charm allows her to summon us all together at will. We can summon our two teammates for a meeting, but Hermione is the only one as of yet who can call a meeting with _all_ of the Dragon Riders present. That will change, however, once we vote on someone to become her partner-slash-assistant at the meeting that she just called."

"Don't get too hasty, Draco. Our first priority is sorting out the teams and this weekend's mission." Hermione said. "You're all just lucky that there isn't a Quidditch Game Saturday."

"What about Quidditch?" Ron, Harry, Ginny, Luna, and Neville walked into the room...followed closely by Seamus Finnegan, Dean Thomas, Parvati, Blaise, Pansy, and Parvati's twin, Padma.

"We wouldn't have been able to make it to the match this weekend if we were playing." Draco said, plopping into his chair...just to the right of Hermione's all-powerful Chair.

"Oh, is that all?" Ginny waited for Harry to sit to Hermione's left before she perched in his lap. "Well we all knew that."

"Good, because I'm not going to repeat myself when it comes to this." Hermione said, firmly. "This is Thursday. We will be leaving tomorrow at five in the morning, because we have to apparate to Spain. As you all know, we'll have to fly across the Atlantic to the Americas. From North America, we can apparate to the Rainforest. Once we are there, we have to get to work. I want at least four zones set up from each team before we return to here." She pointed to the map that had appeared as she was explaining their route. "I've been in contact with an old muggle friend of mine who moved down there a few years back...she will be happy to allow us to room there for the weekend. Ah, Riddler!" She smiled and hurried to the window, opening it to allow the owl inside. "Take a bit of a rest, you're going to have to go back as soon as I've finished with this meeting, Riddler." As the owl hooted and flew off- the door to Hermione's study opening as he approached and closing behind him- the witch studied the envelope that she had recieved from him.

Slipping it inside of her robe to read shortly, she turned back as Padma asked. "How are we going to fly across an entire _ocean_? On brooms?"

"Of course not." Hermione chuckled softly. "Blaise, Parvati, Pansy, Hannah, Padma, Dean, and Seamus...directly after this meeting, both myself and Draco will be supervising your becoming Animagi. For now...we are going to vote on a...assistant...for me, if you will. This person will also be the one who takes charge should anything ever happen to me. Think hard on it, all..." She passed out small pieces of parchment. "Tap the parchment thrice once you've decided. The final vote will be counted and projected into my brain."

"How do we know you won't lie?" Pansy asked. Hermione smiled mirthlessly and picked up a vial.

"This is Veritaserum."

"But we can lie under veritaserum!" Blaise said.

"No, Blaise. We can lie about the _order_ under veritaserum. You could still subject me to some rather embarrassing situations with this, and I wouldn't be able to do a thing about it." Hermione corrected. "Now, if you will all please cast your votes?"

A name popped into her mind...and not the name she'd expected. Her eyes shot to Draco, widening, before she looked around at the group. Taking a deep breath, she spoke. "Draco Malfoy."

"Test it!" Dean shouted immediately. Harry and Ron almost seemed to expect it...both the verdict and the questioning of the verdict...and they simply walked to Hermione and took the veritaserum from her, administering three drops as they had been instructed.

"What kind of underwear are you wearing?" Pansy demanded.

Hermione answered in a trance. "A black thong and lace bra." Harry pulled up her shirt easily while Ron shifted the waistline of her pants to reveal the thong. Both boys stepped away immediately, red in the face.

"Whose name entered your mind at the end of the vote?" Ron asked.

"Draco Malfoy with seven votes. Harry Potter with six."

"What!" Parvati yelped, rounding on Draco. "Who did you vote for?"

It was Hermione who answered...her voice still trance-like. "Draco Malfoy voted for Harry Potter. Harry Potter Voted for Draco Malfoy. Ginny Weasley voted for Draco Malfoy. Ronald Weasley voted for Draco Malfoy. Luna Lovegood voted for Draco Malfoy. Neville Longbottom voted for Draco Mafloy. Parvati Patil voted for Harry Potter..." She blinked twice as the serum wore off and shook her head.

"Well...I guess that settles it!" Ron grinned. "Glad it's you and not me, mate." He said, winking at Draco. Draco laughed.

"You just don't want to deal with the paperwork." He teased.

"Right then...shall we commense with the animagus transformations?" Hermione asked. When they all nodded, she and Draco moved to the door that appeared opening to a large, empty room beyond. Hermione paused only to grab a strange leather case. She stopped at the door and glanced at Draco, who nodded to her as she walked inside to begin setting up. He turned to face the rest of the team.

"Right you lot. We'll go in Alphabetical order by last names. That means that Hannah will be first, followed by Seamus, followed by Pansy, Padma, Parvati, Dean, and finally Blaise. You're not to talk about what you turn into or how it happens..." He shot those who had already gone through the process stern looks. "And each person that comes out will be given a bit to eat and some hot tea to settle the nerves. Once Blaise has finished, you may discuss things. Alright. Hannah, shall we begin?"

**sweetdreamsaremadeofthesewhoamitodisagree**

Snake-like hazel eyes watched the snowy owl as it circled twice before landing on his extended arm and giving him the letter, hooting before flying off to its perch.

_My dearest Vlad-_

_I'm afraid that I will be unable to write to you this weekend, as I have some urgent business that needs to be attended to. Send Riddler to me first thing on Monday morning and I will immediately get back to you on the insta-note. Oh Vlad...I know it sounds silly, but I miss you already. You needn't worry, my love...my heart...your spell is on me quite securely. I have sent Riddler to stay with you...so that nobody could get to him in my absence. I do, after all, have a fair ammount of enemies and I would hate to lose the only owl who knows where you are._

_Yours always_

_Tigerlily._

He gave a sigh of something akin to relief. Should she be in danger, he would immediately be compelled to seek her out. It was a spell that he normally placed only on the families of his deatheaters, but Tigerlily...his Tigerlily...he couldn't risk her being injured. It was amazing to him how easily the words of love and affection slipped from his mouth...or in this case, pen...when it came to Tigerlily.

"My lord?" Bellatrix. She was worried. All of his deatheaters were. They wanted him to reassure them that he was still sane. The trouble was...he wasn't entirely certain that he **_was_** sane. To think that he was falling in love with a mudblood! He didn't even know which mudblood she was! For all he knew, she could be the best friend of Harry-Sodding-**_POTTER_**!

He didn't believe it, though...he refused to. Not until he saw Tigerlily with his own two eyes would he believe, truly, that she was Hermione Granger. And even then...only if she truly **_was_** Hermione Granger. He doubted it. The chit would never place her best friend in danger by writing to someone who could just as easily be the Dark Lord Voldemort.

**travelledtheworldandthesevenseaseverybodyslookinforsomethin**

He missed her, he realized as he paced the room silently. It was Monday night and she hadn't replied to the letter that he'd sent with Riddler, nor had she written on the Insta-Note. Something was wrong. He paced furiously, running a hand over the smoothe skin of his head, stopping every now and then to glare out into the night with his hazel eyes. He couldn't feel the urge to find her...so she was safe...

So why hadn't she sent Riddler, at least? Why hadn't she written? There were so many questions in his mind...

_**Tigerlily...**_


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of Ms. Rowling's wonderful creations. Nor do I own any of the various songs that may be presented throughout the length of this fanfiction. The various songs will be named at the end of the fic, as well as in the chapter within which they lie.**

**A big thanks and a shout out to all of my reviewers! Thank you so much!**

_**Merry Christmas, Everybody!**_

_**Yours,**_

_**Allison**_

**Chapter 9**

_Tigerlily-_

_I do not feel the pull of the spell, but I know that something has happened. You would never let it go for three weeks without writing me just because you chose to. Please answer me. Please, please Answer me._

_Vlad_

_Tigerlily-_

_Where are you, my dear? Please...please owl me! Why does Riddler constantly return to me? Why hasn't he stayed there yet? Are you not back?_

_Vlad_

_Tigerlily-_

_Please...answer me. I'm so worried about you that it's affecting my work. Oh Tigerlily...where are you?_

_Vlad_

_**Tigerlily? Would you answer this? Please?**_

_**Tigerlily...it has been four weeks since you sent Riddler to me. I know he's worried too...why won't you answer either my owls or this? Please, my dear...Please don't leave me in suspense.**_

**missmarymacmacmacalldressedinblackblackblack**

Hermione opened her eyes slowly and rubbed her forehead gingerly. It hadn't taken them long to set up the boundaries in the Amazon, but Hermione had contracted an illness native to the Rainforest. Upon returning, she had been forced to seek Madam Pomfrey's help. There had, however, been a few complications. She'd had to remain in the Hospital Wing for Five Weeks now. Not that she remembered much...she'd been unconscious for the first week and delirious for the second two.

**Oh God...Vlad!** She was out of the bed in moments and running out of the hospital wing, oblivious to Madam Pomfrey's shouts behind her. In her weakened state, she was leaning on the wall to remain upright when she arrived at the Room of Requirements. "Arimaeus...Barimaeus...Cerulaeus." She gasped out. "Hermione." As soon as the door opened, she ran in and through the room to her study, murmuring that password as well before running to her desk where a pile of letters were waiting.

She didn't even glance at them, pulling out the insta-note parchment. Her stomach heaved, quite suddenly, and she turned. "Accio, Trash!" It landed in her hands just as the contents of her stomach were sent flying into it. After a moment, she lifted her head and wiped her mouth, reaching for an inkwell and a quill.

_Vlad?_

_**Tigerlily! Thank god! Where have you been! You've worried me near to death, you little chit!**_

_I'm sorry, Vlad. I didn't mean to worry you. I've been sick...Madam Pomfrey wouldn't let me out of the Hospital wing for anything. I only just came back to myself enough that I could remember how long it had been and that you were waiting for me to contact you._

_**Sick! The charm didn't alert me to you being in mortal peril...**_

_I wasn't, dear heart. I caught it in time that it was never a real threat, but my body still needed the rest to recuperate. Actually, I have loads of homework to begin now._

_**Knowing you, you'll have it all done shortly.**_

_Yes, but that isn't the point._

_**It isn't?**_

_No! The point is..._

_**The point is what, my dear?**_

_The point is that...I never should have been stupid enough to get sick in the first place!_

**_I highly doubt that you could have chosen whether or not you got sick, Tigerlily. Now off with you. Start on that homework._**

_Yes, Vlad. I'll talk to you later?_

_**Of course.**_

_Okay, love you, bye!_

Hermione wiped the parchment and set it away, standing and walking easily into the Room of Requirements to see everyone gathered around. "Welcome back, Boss." Draco said, grinning.

"It's good to be back. I don't think Madam Pomfrey will be too happy with me, however." Hermione grinned ruefully. "I just remembered that Vlad was waiting for me to tell him that I was back safely...I'd told him that I'd be back the Monday after we left."

"Oops." Harry said. "Was he mad?"

"Just worried, really." Hermione said, beginning to look at her notes and then at the map set up on the wall. She frowned, suddenly. "Harry, Pansy, and Parvati, come here..." They moved to her and she pointed to a spot on the map. "Nagini just crossed from this area into this one." She pointed to two different plots in turn. "Which means that she's around somewhere. Now...take an insta-note parchment with you so that we can keep in touch. Take a Quik Quotes Quill...just in case." She frowned and looked at the map again.

"Alright." Pansy said, immediately. She moved to begin packing, calling Dobby and asking for supplies for the week.

"Harry...I've a feeling about this one...take the anti-scrying crystals with you. Make sure that Parvati and Pansy have one each." Hermione said. Harry and Parvati nodded and began to plan out their search through the Rainforest. They had all been immunized against the same bug that Hermione was finally getting over, and they would be taking along a first aide kit put together by a healer that Draco had managed to contact and pull some strings with.

As Parvati hugged her twin and Harry kissed Ginny, Ron bid a stiff, formal goodbye to Pansy. Draco and Hermione stood side-by-side at the door, grinning at each other secretively. They would be the last to bid the three goodbye, after the rest of the room had had their turns. When the team reached them, Hermione gave a smile and a handshake to each of them, while Draco whispered some last-minute advice to Pansy, shook Harry's hand, and wished Parvati luck.

Once they were gone, Hermione assigned shifts to remain in the Room of Requirements to each of the members of the small order. She then sighed and went into her study to begin her homework.

**withsilverbuttonsbuttonsbuttonsalldownherbackbackback**

Voldemort stared silently at the insta-note parchment, unfamiliar emotions tearing at his heart as he stared at her last words. No doubt she hadn't noticed that she was writing them before she'd wiped the parchment clean, he decided. Setting it aside, he turned.

"Snape." When the black-haired man bowed, Voldemort smirked. "I want you to scry for Nagini and check up on her progress."

"Yes, My Lord." Snape moved immediately to the ebony scrying bowl in the corner and concentrated. Moments later, an image of Voldemort's beloved Nagini was in the bowl, magically projected onto the wall above the bowl. She was sliding through the jungle slowly, hissing to herself.

_"You'll be okay, Nagini" He says. "It's just a trip to the place of your birth!" He says. Well. This is not England, that's for certain. Damn it, I wish he'd get his ass down here and tell me that he won the freaking war already so that I can go home and get rid of this nasty, moldy feeling. I'm not going to get dry for months after this...oh my lovely scales! Ugh!_

Voldemort smiled, despite himself, at the snake's whining. He hadn't truly realized how much he missed Nagini until that moment.

The snake stopped, suddenly, and lifted her head, her eyes narrowing in a very human-like gesture. _Who's that!_

A second voice came out of nowhere...just out of view of the scrying image. _Here, Pretty girl...You're such a pretty girl...come on...come on..._

_Is that...ooh!_ Nagini began immediately to move towards whomever had spoken.

"Here she comes..." The voice was very British...but muffled. It wasn't one that Voldemort recognized. "Get ready, you two." Three or four of them, then...at least one that knew Parsletongue.

"Potter!" Voldemort hissed. Snape looked to Voldemort while Bellatrix stiffened at his side.

"Would you like us to go, my lord?" Snape asked.

"No..." Voldemort sighed and slumped. "You'll be too late. Damn! How the hell could they have realized where Nagini was!"

Snape and Bella exchanged looks. The voice in the scrying glass continued, "Got her!" The snake was all that they could see, though they could see the net draped around her great body and that it was being held in the air.

"Wait..." The first voice that had spoken said, slowly. "Don't say each other's names. Look at your crystals."

There was a long hesitation. "Someone's scrying for us?" A fairly feminine voice asked...but again, it was muffled.

"No...I'm thinking more that they're scrying for Nagini." There was another pause. "Come on...Control will want to know what we've found. In the mean time, we'll have to set up a circle with the crystals to keep anyone from scrying for us _or_ Nagini."

"How are we going to do that?" A third voice asked.

"We'll just set up a circle with the crystals." Said the second voice. "But this cuts down on our time immensely. Control won't be pleased if we kill Nagini to destroy the Horcrux...I think she was looking forward to finding a way to eradicate the horcrux without killing Nagini."

"I don't see as we have much of a choice." The first voice said. "If Voldemort's scrying for us...and I'm thinking he is...then we'll have to destroy the horcrux in the only way that we currently know how. We'll never manage to get her into a secure cage that can't be scryed and out of here before the Deatheaters find us."

Snape and Bella looked hesitantly at their lord, whose snake-shaped hazel eyes were narrowed as he stared silently at the image. They glanced at each other once more before looking up at the image.

"Wait...they're probably listening in on this." The second voice said. "There's a spell that allows those scrying to listen to the events within their images."

"Damn!" The first voice said. "Good thing we haven't said anything to give away either of the Controls."

"Shut up!" The third voice snapped. "Let's just get that circle made and the horcrux destroyed before they hear anything else!"

After a few moments, the image went black and Snape made a soft cry of pain, dropping the connection with the scrying glass, rubbing his temples to ease the instant migraine that the anti-scry crystals had wrought. His black eyes shot to the Dark Lord, who was obviously not happy. "BELLATRIX! RODOLPHUS! TEAR THAT FOREST APART IF YOU MUST! FIND THEM AND BRING THEM TO ME! **_NOW_**! SNAPE, GET YOUR ASS TO YOUR LABORATORY!" The Deatheaters scrambled to obey, running in the different directions that they had been ordered into.

Voldemort sat silently for a long time before snatching up the sapphire blue parchment to one side and dipping a quill in ink.

_Tigerlily?_

_**Yes, Vlad? What is it?** _He hesitated, about to write, when she immediately caught on with her empathy. **_Vlad? What's wrong, baby?_** Something warmed inside of him. He'd never had anyone comfort him before...

_I...My...pet was just killed..._

_**Oh no! Oh, baby, I'm so sorry! How did it happen?**_

This was slightly more difficult. He couldn't give away too much, but he wanted her near him. He wanted to make sure that Potter couldn't take her from him as he'd just taken Nagini. _Just call it the bully of the block, Tigerlily._

_**Oh love...I wish I could be there to hold you...ugh! I feel so helpless!**_

_I know...Tigerlily?_

_**Yes, Vlad?**_

_Would you...would you be interested in meeting me?_ At first, he didn't think she would answer. It was against the rules imposed by McGonagall, after all.

**_Yes, Vlad. I would like that very much._** He felt his heart swell and a relieved smile came to his lips. Now, he could keep her with him. While he was near her, he could keep her safe. Potter would never kill her.

Potter would never take her from him


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of Ms. Rowling's wonderful creations. Nor do I own any of the various songs that may be presented throughout the length of this fanfiction. The various songs will be named at the end of the fic, as well as in the chapter within which they lie.**

**A big thanks and a shout out to all of my reviewers! Thank you so much!**

_**Here's the update that you've all been so eager to see! I don't quite have the next chapter finished, but I figured that you've all been more than patient in waiting for this one, so I'm posting it. I don't have the countdown started just yet, because I don't know how many more chapters I will need to conclude this story. All I can say, which will give you all a bit of warning as to just how things are going to change before long is that I'm glad that both Hermione and Voldemort get a bit of happiness in this chapter.**_

_**Yours,**_

_**Allison**_

**Chapter 10**

Hermione sighed softly as she looked towards where everyone else in the Dragon Riders were congratulating Parvati, Pansy, and Harry on their capture and killing of Nagini. A chord had struck in the back of Hermione's mind at that...a horrible, terrible suspicion that she prayed with all of her heart and soul wasn't truth. She watched the room celebrating and looked down silently at the bracelet on her wrist.

"What's wrong, Hermione?" Draco asked, suddenly. The rest of the Dragon Riders looked at her as she looked up at them.

She cleared her throat. Her Vlad. It couldn't be. "Nothing. Listen, guys...I'm going to be gone on a private mission this weekend." She fastened an anti-scry crystal necklace that she'd made around her neck. It shrank into her flesh and became a part of her until she was ready to take it off. "I'll...I'll see you all on Monday."

"You know your rules..." Harry warned.

Hermione stopped in the doorway and looked back at him. "Harry...this is something that I have to do on my own." Her gaze flicked towards the emerald green sheet of parchment resting on her desk in her study and Harry followed her gaze.

"You're going to meet him, aren't you." Harry said. "You're going to meet this Vlad fellow."

"There is no way in _HELL_ you are going alone, Hermione!" Ron snapped.

"Leave be, Ron." Hermione warned. "You do not want me to be angry with you. Not right now."

He gulped quietly and nodded. Hermione sighed softly and turned, picking up her dufflebag and walking out the door. As it closed behind her, Harry and Draco looked at each other. "I've a bad feeling about this." Draco said. "Why isn't she cheerful about it?"

"Maybe he blackmailed her into it?" Harry asked, looking at the door.

"Either way...we can only wait, now. She took her Head Girl's Badge...so she'll be able to alert us if something happens." Pansy said, crossing her arms.

**thequickgrayfoxjumpedoverthelazybrowndog**

Hermione stood silently in the brisk spring air. April First. April Fools Day. It was the beginning of her favorite season, and yet it was the day that she hated the most in the world. Juvenile tricks had never been her thing. It was hard to believe, however, that it had almost been an entire year since she, Ron, and Harry had begun their search for the Horcruxes...that they had prevailed and Voldemort was now mortal. It was something she had never let herself truly hope for. She had put on a brave face, but she'd never held onto much hope that they would actually do it. It had seemed an impossible task for three- and later, four- teenagers to take. Now, however...now, she could barely believe it. She hadn't dared to hope for so long that now that it had truly happened, she wasn't sure what to believe. She was exhilerated, sure...she was ecstatic! And yet...

And yet...that inkling of suspicion. She didn't want to believe it. Refused to. And so she would meet him. She would prove herself wrong, even if it meant failing the project.

She had just finished apparating to the place that she and Vlad were going to meet. Sighing, she settled in to wait. She wasn't there for more than five minutes when she heard the pop of apparition. Turning, she fingered the handle of her wand quietly and came face to face with her greatest fear. It wasn't a shock to her...not really. He, however, obviously hadn't prepared himself for even the base possibility.

She found herself facing his wand, his own eyes widened in disbelief and then narrowing, the snake-like hazel flashing with emotions that Hermione couldn't identify. She stood silently, leaving her wand where it was as she held her hands away from her body. "I'm not going to try to hurt you." She said, her voice low.

"What are you doing here, Mudblood?" Voldemort asked, his voice low and dark. He refused to believe it, glaring at her. Nagini was dead...and if this was truly his Tigerlily...then she was the cause! She held her hands out away from her sides, trusting that he wouldn't hurt her. Trusting in vain, if one were to ask him. He was three seconds away from Avadaing her ass.

"I'm here to meet someone." Her voice was still low. "A penpal."

"No..." She could hear his whisper. "NO!" He snarled the denial, glaring at her. He could feel his legs turning to jelly and they dropped out from beneath him. She gave a soft sound...one that he could barely hear...and ran to him, kneeling at his side. He glared at her, even as he felt her small, warm hand against his chest.

"I'm sorry." She whispered. And she was. Neither of them wanted this, in all honesty. Both of them, she was sure, would rather the other be someone else. Anyone else. But somehow...deep inside of her...she didn't care. For some reason, she didn't mind that her Vlad...the man that she'd been slowly falling in love with since September...was also Lord Voldemort.

Something inside of him...something which had been slowly eroding for months...gave away and collapsed the moment her warm, gentle hand rested against his chest. He who had never been comforted before...never been held...found himself turning against her, dropping his head gently to her shoulder and listening to her low, soft voice as it whispered in his ear.

She didn't know what made him rest his head against her and she didn't care. That simple surrender on his part was all that it took for her to slide her arms around him and hold him, murmuring comforting nothings to him as she would have done to Harry or Ron. After a long time, he lifted his head from her shoulder and looked at her, his eyes dry and tearless. The kiss, when it came, was fierce and passionate. It was uncertain who's made the first move...but once the first move was made, they were attached to each other as if they would never...could never...let go.

_This is wrong,_ Hermione thought. _This is the man that wants Harry dead. The man that would kill me and my parents if he had a half a chance._

**_This is also the man whose lips are attached to yours, making you feel like you are the most important...the most desirable...woman in the world. _**A nasty voice in the back of her mind replied. **_And, after all, hasn't he had ample chance to kill you right now? He's not killing you, you idiot. Unless you can die from the best kiss of your short god damned life._**

His hand slid from her cheek to her side. When his flesh...warmed from his own rushing blood and her touch...brushed the skin underneath her shirt, she drew back slightly and looked up at him. His gaze studied hers, an imperious, self-important look on his face. She frowned slightly. _Surely that can't be his true expression. A mask, maybe? To protect him from rejection?_

"The rumors of your brilliance do you little credit, Miss Granger." Voldemort said, softly. "You are quite correct."

"How did you..." She paused and frowned. "Oh. Right. You're an accomplished Legilimens."

"Correct once again." Her companion said, a wry smile-smirk twisting at the corner of his lips...which leaned in delicately and brushed hers once more before he pulled back, studying her. "How long do you have before you are missed?"

"I must be back Sunday Night." She whispered, lowering her head uncertainly. Would he abduct her? Would he refuse to allow her to return?

"Then we had best leave now." He said, standing and reaching down to help her up. Once she was standing, he slid his arm around her waist. His touch was slightly awkward, as if he had never held anyone before...at least not as he was holding her now. "Apparate with me." He murmured to her, his lips brushing her ear and making her shiver.

**onceuponamidnightdrearywhileiponderedweakandweary**

"So...why Voldemort?" Hermione asked, careful to keep her voice low. They were seated in a muggle diner, but one could never tell who might be listening in that might know something about the affairs of the wizarding world.

He studied her for a long moment before pulling out a muggle pen. At her raised eyebrow, he grinned. He'd been doing that more and more often as the evening had progressed. "I hate them. Not their inventions. Besides...a pen is much easier to carry around than a quill and an inkwell." When she smiled, he took a napkin from one side of the table and wrote out in clear, precise movements that she admired openly, two phrases. This done, he handed the napkin to her.

Tom Marvolo Riddle

I am Lord Voldemort

"What...?" She began.

"Compare the letters." He prompted gently. She took the pen from him gently and looked back down at the napkin, studying it.

Tom Marvolo Riddle. The "I" from the second phrase was obvious. "Am" was also easily remedied. The M from Tom and the A in Marvolo. "Lord" was slightly more difficult, but no more difficult than placing together a jigsaw puzzle...and Hermione's passion was puzzles. The L came from Marvolo, as did the O and the R. The D, on the other hand, was one of the ones from Riddle. That left "Voldemort" to come from the V in Marvolo, as well as the second O in the word. This L, however, came from Riddle...as did the D and the E. The M came from Marvolo...the final letter in that particular word to be used...and the second O came from Tom, while the R was the last letter in Riddle to be used and the T was the final letter from Tom.

"There are other combinations that could be used." She pointed out with a gentle smile, once she'd finished.

"It sounded cool." He answered, promptly...and was surprised when her genuinely amused laughter lit up their corner of the diner.

"Sounded cool?" She asked, after getting control of herself.

"I was fourteen when I created it." He defended. "I didn't need any other reason. And now...now it has become as much a part of my identity as Tom Riddle was...moreso, really." He took a bite of his muggle cheeseburger, chewing thoughtfully.

"I see." They ate in silence for a few minutes before Hermione said, hesitantly. "What was it like?"

"What was what like?"

"Your childhood. Growing up in...in the orphanage."

At first, she thought that he was going to grow angry with her and attack her...but then his face softened, somewhat reluctantly, and he reached over the table to touch her hand, delicately. She paused for a moment before turning her hand and lacing her fingers through his. His grip was firm and steady. Hers was a great comfort. "It seems that I cannot be angry at you, even when you are pushing me for information." Voldemort whispered, lifting her hand to his lips gently and rubbing the back of her hand with his thumb as he let their hands dropped once more. "This, however, is not information that should be shared here...in the open. It is better by far if we retreat to our hotel room before I begin this story."

She nodded and he gave an inaudible sigh of relief. They finished their meals quickly and returned to their hotel room...an expensive muggle hotel, so that neither of them would be recognized. Once in their room, Hermione sat on the bed and watched as her companion paced, thinking to himself. It was ironic, she decided, that she could be so comfortable with someone who wanted her best friend dead. And yet...she was. She felt as if she'd belonged here her entire life...and maybe she had. Maybe on some deeper-than-subconscious level in her mind, she had always known...somehow...that she belonged with someone powerful...someone like the man whose stride was growing more fevered with each pass around the room made.

Only when he stumbled in his pacing did she speak. "Vlad." His gaze shot to hers like a wounded animal. "Come here." She held one slender hand out to him and he took it, allowing her to draw him to the bed to sit beside her. Once he was sitting, she shifted and slipped her arms around him.

"Tigerlily." His voice was soft as he studied her upraised face. "It is not a pleasant story. I...the memories that I have are...are not pleasant, to say the least."

"Talk." She lifted her hand to his face, caressing his cheek and making him close his eyes reverently, tilting his head into her hand. "I'll listen."

**memories**

_I sat quietly in my seat, as still and straight as I could. If I moved...if I made a sound...I would be flogged again. I was flogged too much. I didn't want to be flogged again that day. It hadn't even been me, earlier! I hadn't been the one who'd killed the cat! Arkaisha Manolia had! But they'd blamed me. Of course they had...just because I'd accidentally set that rattle snake on mean old Headmatron Albein._

_**break**_

_I stared silently at the boys around me, fighting not to cry. If I cried, they'd hurt me worse. I couldn't cry. Couldn't let them get the better of me. I just couldn't! If I did, that meant that they were better than me...and I didn't want anyone to be better than me...ever again._

_Their fists continue flying...but I won't cry...I refuse to._

_**break**_

_When in Hogwarts...I learned how to play the game just as stealthily and as cruelly as the kids in the orphanage did...I learned to cheat...to lie...to steal...most importantly of all, I learned the value of not getting caught..._

_But even there, I was outcast..._

**memories**

Voldemort had told her everything...his life story like he'd never told anyone. His every hurt...his every tear. He told her everything that he'd been punished for...some that he'd done, a good part of the total being things he, in fact, **_hadn't_** done. And, as she had promised in the beginning, she simply listened.

When his face turned upwards from her shoulder, where he'd placed his cheek early on in the recollections, she didn't fight his kiss. When his tongue brushed her lips hesitantly...nearly fearfully...they parted for him. And when his hands stilled momentarily on the button to her muggle jeans, waiting with bated breath for her permission, she simply reached down and rested her hands on his, moving them aside just far enough to undo the button herself and slide the jeans off.


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of Ms. Rowling's wonderful creations. Nor do I own any of the various songs that may be presented throughout the length of this fanfiction. The various songs will be named at the end of the fic, as well as in the chapter within which they lie.**

**A big thanks and a shout out to all of my reviewers! Thank you so much!**

_**Okay okay! At popular demand, here is your next chapter! I'm no good at mush or sex scenes, so I'm afraid you'll have to live with the cliffy and the innuendo on the last chapter.**_

_**Yours,**_

_**Allison**_

**Chapter 11**

Hermione walked easily into the Room of Requirements on Monday night, looking for all the world like a young woman who had had the time of her life over the weekend. And she had...

Humming to herself as she called Dobby to bring her up a mug of coffee, fixed exactly how she liked it, she then took a slow sip of it and retreated to her study. Once inside, she picked up the first of a stack of papers that she'd asked Draco for the week before. Sitting down, she began to look the stack over when she heard a commotion in the room beyond and Harry entered.

"You look happy." He said, glumly.

"What's wrong, Harry?" Hermione put the papers aside and looked up at her friend, taking a long sip of her coffee.

"McGonagall wants me to start 'training' with Mad-Eye Moody to, as she puts it 'Develop strategies with which to destroy You-Know-Who.' Hermione...I wish things were simple again."

"Things are rarely simple, Harry...even less so when it deals with war." She smiled sadly, feeling much older than she truly was. The birth certificate said seventeen. She felt about seventy. Such were the hazards of playing grown up...one tended to fall too deeply into one's role. "Anyways...this training may be good for you." When he moved to protest, she gave a gentle smile and held up one hand to still his words. "Harry, if we're to do any good searching for that last Horcrux, we're going to need you to keep the Order of the Phoenix from becoming suspicious about the Dragon Riders."

"I know...it's just...I'm ready for the war to be over, Hermione." Harry confided. Hermione gave a wan smile, remembering the cold hazel eyes that had lit up, for just a short while. It would be wonderful when the war was over, she knew. She just wished that one of them would have to die to end it. It complicated things to no end for Hermione. It was something she hadn't let herself think of throughout the weekend...she hadn't wanted anything to damper the good times.

"I know, Harry." She said, softly. At that moment, a nondescript owl flew in through the window and delivered a letter to her. She glanced at the owl, searching for certain markings. Finding the tiny white fleck on the back of its head, she smiled and nodded, stroking the owl once lightly. "Thank you, good sir. Please, take an owl treat from the dish for your troubles and rest a bit before your long flight back."

The owl gave a soft hoot and turned towards the perch in the corner, where Riddler sat grooming himself. At the sight of the abnormally large snowy owl, the owl on Hermione's desk stopped and stared hard. When Riddler looked up, the owl gave a hoot and moved hesitantly to the perch, taking an owl treat. Harry and Hermione exchanged a glance before Hermione began to open the letter, oblivious to the little black owl's appraising look.

_Dragon Rider_

_Anti-Spying crystals, hm? I expected you to be more original. Very well, they did their job and you got your snake. I do, however, suggest that you be a tad more cautious in the future. One never knows when one will be spied with one's hand in the cookie jar. This is the last clue you shall recieve and the last you shall need._

_Once upon a Midnight Dreary, While I pondered Weak and Weary, Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten Lore._

_While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping. As of someone gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door._

_Sir Snake_

Hermione took great care in copying down the lines of verse before she set fire to the parchment, sitting down and beginning to study the words as the small black owl flew out the window.

"What do they mean?" Harry asked, reading over her shoulder. "While I nodded, nearly napping...what does it all mean, Hermione?"

"It's poetry. Muggle poetry." She replied, stepping out of the study with the piece of parchment. Unsure as to what she was doing, Harry followed. Hermione's slender hand trailed across the spines in one section of her little library before stopping at one book in particular and pulling it free. "Edgar Allen Poe to be exact." She carried the tome to her worktable and set it down, leafing through. One slender finger scanned down the table of contents before stopping on a selection and moving swiftly along to the page number. Moments later, the book was open to the poem that she'd selected and she was quickly comparing the words.

"The Raven?" Harry read the title over her shoulder.

"Mhm." She closed the book and walked to the shelves, replacing it. "Well, that settles it then. We're looking for something of Ravenclaw's."

"Blimey. Do you have any idea how hard that's going to be?" Draco groused as he walked over to them.

"Yes, well...I suppose we'll all have to start researching potential items." When the two boys gave identical sounds of disgust, Hermione smiled. "Honestly, it won't kill you to do a bit of research. I can't do it all, you know...it'll do you good. Call it practicing for studying for your NEWTS if you wish." She smirked. "The NEWTS that we will be taking in a few weeks' time?" They groaned again. "Right, then. I have some things to do. Carry on." She winked at Pansy, who was leading the study session that they were holding for the NEWTS.

**badgerturtlesnakelionsandtigersandbearsohmy**

_My dear, are you entirely sure we should be talking?_

**_Vlad...nothing much has changed and you know it._** He wished that he shared her optimism. The truth was that everything had changed. The person that he had fallen in love with was Harry Potter's Mudblood friend. That was a catastrophe of the worst kind. Not that he would trade her for anyone...he'd found over their weekend together that Hermione was...everything. She was everything he'd never known that he'd wanted. Everything he'd never had...everything he'd never dared hope for.

She was also everything he stood against. A muggle-born Gryffindor who had opposed him for seven years, now. The smartest witch to grace the halls of Hogwarts since Voldemort himself had graduated was a Mudblood. By all rights, he should be plotting ways to get to Potter through her. Why he wasn't, he wasn't entirely sure. But...she was Hermione. She was Tigerlily. She was...everything.

_I wouldn't say that nothing has changed, my dear Tigerlily. I'd say that several things have changed. And I am not just speaking from the satisfied man-who-has-sated-his-lust point of view, either. Now that we know who each other is...well, you know what I mean._

_**I know, Vlad. We have to be even more careful...and that's only the least of it. I wish we weren't in the middle of a war.**_

_So do I, Tigerlily._

_**Well...I guess I'd best get to bed. I love you, Vlad.**_

_And I you, Tigerlily._ He wiped the parchment clean and sighed softly. Nagini was gone, leaving only one horcrux left. He had the horrible feeling that soon, he would be mortal. Voldemort didn't like that thought. He had pursued immortality so that he might never be forced to face the abyss...that he might never be forgotten. Yes, that was his true fear. Voldemort had, after all, originated from Tom Riddle, who had been an orphan whose father had forgotten him. In the summer, Hogwarts forgot him. He wanted immortality so that the world...this life...would never forget him.

It didn't much look like it would work, at this rate. Oh sure, he'd be in the History books...but that was beside the point. Who in their right mind studied history because they **wanted** to? He'd been an overachiever in school, and even he had balked during Professor Binns' class. Though...he had a feeling that Hermione was even more fanatical about learning than he.

With a sigh, Voldemort sank into the bed. He didn't actually sleep, for the most part, but it was nice to go through the motions and his body needed the rest. Besides...it made his deatheaters think they could get away with things and enabled him to flush out traitors much more easily. Closing his eyes, Voldemort let his mind drift.

**hesaiddonttrytoscreamnowbutiwantthisonetohurt**

Hermione sighed and took another drink of her coffee as she read through the last of the parchments on her desk, signing the appropriate places and getting ready to ship them off with Riddler when he returned from Voldemort's. He still took his weekly letters back and forth for Hermione and Voldemort, both of them preferring to keep up their pretense of a long-distance relationship. It didn't seem as if McGonagall had noticed that Hermione had broken the rules, for she had yet to give any sign that she knew, and Hermione's project grade was still an A.

Still...it was easier for both Hermione and Voldemort to pretend that they weren't each other, if that made much sense. It was easier, for example, for Hermione to pretend that Voldemort wasn't Voldemort, and vice versa. This way, they kept up their own little charades with the world around them and weren't forced to hate each other.

"Ah, Riddler. You're back. I'm afraid that you won't get to rest much today. I need you to take these forms to the Ministry after you've caught your breath and when you feel up to is." She said as the owl fluttered in to land on his perch. Reaching over, she stroked his feathers and was rewarded with a gentle hoot and an affectionate nip. Smiling, she picked up the envelopes and tied them to his legs. "Deliver them to the ministry...I daresay whomever you deliver them to can take care of it from there." Riddler hooted again and Hermione smiled, reaching for the book that she'd gotten only the day before entitled Ravenclaw: A Founder and Her Knowledge. It was the third of five books that Hermione had recieved on Ravenclaw since she'd begun researching the week before, and she was researching at a fevered pace, even for Hermione.

Between the up and coming NEWTS and her research, Hermione's friends rarely saw her, outside of class. The Dragon Riders, she knew, were all exasperated with her...but they knew that they would be thankful for her work ethic when she handed them the files on the artifact that they were searching for and pulled a map from her shelf to show them exactly where they would be searching.

If she was honest with herself, Hermione could admit to being torn between loyalty to her best friend and loyalty to the man who had stolen her heart throughout these past months of constant correspondance. He had become her confidant, her protecter, the man that she wished to be with for eternity. And yet...she, Ron, and Harry had faced mountain trolls, giant chess matches, basilisks, killer pixies, convicted killers, dementors, dragons, merfolk, demented headmistress wannabes, giants, deatheaters, prejudices, and even traitors in their long, seven-year journey. They had triumphed over logical games that hid poison and savior, deciphered the hidden key to the Chamber of Secrets, travelled illegally through time, forged friendships with Durmstrang and Beaubatons, created an army, and now they were the Dragon Riders...the hidden player in the war against Voldemort and his death eaters and the player that was creating the most trouble for him, thus far.

In the end, she supposed that there was little choice to the matter. Her mother and father had always told her that she should cherish friendships over romances, because when romances failed, friendships were the backbone that could keep her from breaking apart. She had always taken this to heart, and she would always continue to do so. No matter what her conflicts, no matter how torn she was between love and the brother-sister bond that she had with Harry, she never truly even considered betraying or abandoning Harry.

And so, when she found the picture in one of her books on Ravenclaw and realized that the bronze tablet was what they were searching for, it never occured to her not to reveal this information. When she looked into it a bit more and got in touch with a few of her contacts, it never occured to her to pretend that she hadn't found it.

Which was what brought her to the point that she was standing before the rest of the Dragon Riders, a map spread out across the wall behind her and a magical hologram of the target...a large square tablet that had probably once been the guardian to the Ravenclaw Dormitories. It depicted a Raven and an Eagle, locked in transformation so that the left half of the signet was the raven and the right was the eagle. There were no tailfeathers, only the wonderfully detailed head and spread wing of each bird. Wing singular, because the second wing was lost somewhere in transformation, so that the birds looked like siamese twins or something of the like. Below the birds' flight was a battlefield, the infamous fight between the Four Founders and Mordred, Arthur's Bane.

"As you all know, the Four Founders were all no older than fifteen during this battle. A prophesy stated that they would be the ones to dethrone Mordred and restore some semblance of order to Arthur's kingdom." Hermione said. "Rowena Ravenclaw was the daughter of Morgana, the lady of death...whose symbol was the raven. Rowena was raised with her father and without the knowledge of who her mother was. She learned of it, when she was able to pull upon Morgana's powers during the fateful battle." Hermione said. "In her honor, this signet was created. Now...the actual signet itself is the size of a portrait around the size of the Fat Lady." Meaning that they weren't to try to take it anywhere...they were just going straight in to destroy the tablet. "So finding it will be relatively simple, but it will be under a plethora of dark enchantments designed to protect it. Everything that has happened up until now points to the fact that Voldemort is beginning to panic. He did not believe that anyone would be able to find and destroy any of his horcruxes, let alone all but one. For this reason, I'm sending in everything we have. We cannot take chances."

She brought up another, more detailed map of the area circled on the big map. "I do not believe that three people will be able to approach and destroy this horcrux on their own. Therefore, I'm not going to plan much about this particular horcrux. All I'm going to tell you is that if you see a deatheater, you will **_not_** remain around to find out if they have backup. Get the tablet if you can, but only if you can do so safely. This is only our first try. Now...Blaise, Ginny, Ron, and Hannah will remain behind with me. Draco and Pansy will be the Dark Arts expert.

"You will all take anti-spy crystals with you, as well as one of the potions kits that I've just finished. Inside, you'll find a variety of potions, all labelled, and all with a short explanation of the effects. They are small enough to fit on a belt, and once you open them, the potions that you are looking for will expand to their normal size. I suggest using some of those potions wisely, because their ingrediants are expensive and the brewing is something that only a Potions Master or Mistress can even hope to achieve." Hermione's voice was wry. "We have a long weekend this weekend, so you should have enough time to survey the landscape and make a brief plan amongst yourselves. Draco and Harry will be your field leaders, as usual." She began handing out the maps that she'd duplicated for the purposes of the mission.

"Looks simple enough." Harry commented. "'Course, we'll know more once we're there. Right, then...We'll be flying in to here." He pointed to a large clearing on the big map spread out across the wall. "We'll set up base near there and work our way in to find the tablet by either apparating or using our brooms."

Leaving them to it, Hermione thought with a twinge of Voldemort and what she was doing by continuing this mission. There was no question as to who she was going to be loyal to in this fight...but that didn't mean that she was going to enjoy it.


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of Ms. Rowling's wonderful creations. Nor do I own any of the various songs that may be presented throughout the length of this fanfiction. The various songs will be named at the end of the fic, as well as in the chapter within which they lie.**

**A big thanks and a shout out to all of my reviewers! Thank you so much!**

**_I apologize PROFUSELY at the length of time that it has taken me to finish this next chapter! I actually have Chapter 13 done as well, but I want to finish the final chapter, Chapter 14, before I post up the next chapter. And now, without further adieu, the chapter that I, your favorite (Ducks the flying debris) author has trudged through hell, purgatory, and one whopper of a writer's block to bring you!_**

Yours,

_**Allison**_

**Chapter 12**

Voldemort stared silently at the wall, three weeks after he'd met Hermione and had the best weekend of his life. It had been, perhaps, the only good thing ever to come of his wretched life. When she'd given herself...everything of herself...to him, it had been the most precious thing he'd ever been handed. He'd told her of his childhood...the pain that he'd suffered...and she had returned the favor, eventually coming around to explaining- reluctantly- about the funny uncle whose actions had haunted her that summer. The man had been found dead in his home three days after Voldemort and Hermione parted ways, and it had been obvious that the muggle had not died quickly with a simple Avada Kedavra. He had suffered. For hours.

And Voldemort had done it all.

But now...now, there was a most perplexing problem placed before Voldemort. And he knew, painfully, that his beloved Hermione had been the cause. Indirectly, perhaps...but she had been the cause.

He...Voldemort...was mortal.

It was what he'd feared, from the beginning of his dark reign so many years ago. Perhaps, if he hadn't gone after Potter, perhaps he wouldn't be in this predicament. But then...he never would have met Tigerlily, who had later become Hermione in his eyes. She was everything to him...would always be the light in the darkness, shining brightly to try to lure him from the cold depths. She would have succeeded, had he been any less entrenched in the depths of the Dark Arts. Of this, he had no doubt.

But for now...for now, he had to deal with being Mortal. He could not simply turn over a new leaf and swear allegiance to Potter, after all, and he no longer had enough of a soul left to divide it many more times. Voldemort himself had lost four deatheaters to the attackers, who- he'd learned- called themselves the Dragon Riders. Peter Pettigrew, not that that was much of a loss, Bellatrix Lestrange's husband Rodolphus, also not much of a loss...the man was a whipping boy for anything that Bella did wrong. The final two, however...Malfoy and McNair were grave losses...and not losses from which Voldemort could easily recover.

He would have to strike quickly, he knew. Before the fool Headmistress of Hogwarts realized that without Snape and Dumbledore holding the wards of the castle, they were failing. Were almost all down, in fact. Too quickly, however, and his Hermione wouldn't have finished her precious NEWTS. How she could look forward to those things was beyond even Voldemort, who had been an overachiever himself during his school years. Why he was scheduling his final attack around the time-table of a **seventeen-year-old**, he was not entirely sure. Perhaps it was what one did, when one was in love. Perhaps he was being foolish and sentimental, wanting to give her her time of happiness before he took over the wizarding world, beginning with Hogwarts.

"Snape!" Voldemort hissed, suddenly.

"Yes, my lord?"

"You and Bellatrix are to begin preparing for battle. We go the day after the NEWTs have finished. Their guards will be lowered with the relief."

"Yes, My Lord." Snape bowed out, hurrying to find Bellatrix. Voldemort turned and stared pensievely at the latest letter from Tigerlily. A sigh of some strange emotion that had its base in something akin to regret made its way past his lips as he watched the words flowing across the parchment in her familiar handwriting. Sighing silently, Voldemort closed his eyes. Oh Hermione.

He wanted to make her his queen, but he knew that she would never allow it. She would never turn against her precious best friend. It saddened him, knowing that he could never rule with her at his side. She would have to be made a concubine, which she would like just as little. Perhaps, if he gave her the choice, she would choose differently. Determined to ask her once he saw her again, Voldemort quietly continued working on the plans of battle.

**badgerbadgerbadgerbadgermushroommushroom**

_Dragon Rider,_

_You have done well. All that is left is the beast itself. The last clue was the last clue that you needed. I tell you now that the day after the Nasty Exams, Hogwarts will be in grave danger. Please insure that your team is prepared, as well the Headmistress warned. This will be the last correspondance that you ever recieve from me, as I doubt that I will survive this up and coming battle._

_You were one of the best, one of the most gifted. I apologize for not being there to have overseen your apprenticeship for myself._

_Yours,_

_Sir Snake_

Hermione stared, flabbergasted, at the letter in her hand. Sir Snake. S.S. Severus Snape. Why hadn't she seen it before? But then...if he was still going to spy...why had he killed Dumbledore? She sighed quietly and set the letter aflame, destroying the evidence as she thought it over. Nothing quite added up with that whole deal. She couldn't understand it. What had made Severus Snape betray Albus Dumbledore? Especially after all that Dumbledore had done for Snape?

Her mind drifted to Voldemort. Her Voldemort. Perhaps, then, she and Professor Snape had more in common than either of them had ever thought. Only she wasn't choosing the darkness...and her love...over her closest friend. Over what was right.

"Riddler." The white owl looked up from preening his feathers as his mistress dipped a quill in ink and began to write. "I need you to deliver this to the owlery and a school owl. Instruct them to take the letter to Minerva McGonagall, Headmistress." The intelligent owl stuck out his leg, cocking his head to one side. "I would send you directly, but the sender must remain anonymous in the eyes of the order. Especially if the Dragon Riders are to do what we must."

As the owl flew out the window, Hermione turned pensive brown eyes to the well worn insta-note parchment on the desk. Picking up her quill once more, she dipped it in the ink.

_Vlad?_

**_Yes, Tigerlily?_** The answer didn't come right away, but it came nonetheless.

_I was just on my way out and thought to write to you for a moment. I love you._

**_And I you, my Tigerlily. Now go on, about your business madam. We both have other issues to attend to._** A smile broke out on her face, despite herself, as she wiped the parchment clean and tucked it away. Standing up, the young woman exited her office to see Draco and Harry standing silently in the outer room, examining a book that the witch recognized as being a book on dark curses.

"Well, don't get too comfortable in your studying." She announced. "We're going to have a rigorous time-table to follow for the next few weeks. Voldemort plans to attack the day after the NEWTS have finished."

"Why?" Harry asked, arching an eyebrow.

"Don't you see? It's the perfect plan." Draco said, slowly. "The oldest students will already be exausted from their tests, and our guards will be down once they're finished, desiring a few days to rest and relax before graduation. The fifth years will still be studying for their OWLS at this time..."

"And the other students will all be caught up in last-minute study sessions as well." Hermione finished for him. "It's a brilliant plan."

"So how are we going to manage to defeat Voldemort **and** pass our exams?" Harry questioned.

"Simple." Hermione smiled grimly, holding up a time-turner. "We study twice as hard in the defense against the dark arts portion. I've already taken my NEWTS- as you know- so I can help with all ranges. You'll simply have to concentrate on the areas of study you must pass to become an auror and forego the others. Similarly with the other Dragon Riders and their areas of study." She ruffled her hair with one hand, absently looking at the potions texts making up her library.

"Grange?" When the distracted brown eyes met the questioning gray orbs, Draco continued. "Please tell me you have a plan."

Her eyes moved back to the books lining the wall, landing on one in particular. "I might, Draco. I just might." Pulling down the text, she moved to her desk to study without another word.


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of Ms. Rowling's wonderful creations. Nor do I own any of the various songs that may be presented throughout the length of this fanfiction. The various songs will be named at the end of the fic, as well as in the chapter within which they lie.**

**A big thanks and a shout out to all of my reviewers! Thank you so much!**

**_Here it is, Chapter 13! Now…the story is completely finished. Actually, I might do us all a favor and upload it all tonight. I like that idea, actually. Anyway, here you go._**

Yours,

**_Allison_**

P.S. Chancie, I don't care what you say. Voldemort is going to win the war. He's just too damned cool not to.

**Chapter 13**

_Dearest Tigerlily,_

_Upon the finale of your NEWTs, I would request that you meet me in a grove about a half a mile from Hogwarts Castle for celebratory measures. Enclosed is a map showing a path to said-grove. I await your presence with much anxiety._

_Yours,_

_Vlad_

"Well...it's over." Hermione whispered softly, watching as Harry and Draco both set aside their last books...the two books that marked their last NEWT test and the time to prepare for the battle of their lives.

"No." Draco denied, softly. "It's just beginning." Hermione smiled and nodded her acceptance of his choice of words, though her eyes told another story. She hadn't told them her plan, just yet. They knew she had one, however. It was as obvious as the potion that she had been silently brewing since the day they'd found out about the attack. Even now, as he and Harry relaxed tentatively under the knowledge that their NEWTs were finished, Hermione was chopping up another ingrediant.

"What are you brewing there, Hermione?" Harry asked, suddenly...echoing Draco's thoughts.

"The tools that I'll need for my last mission." Hermione said, softly. "I leave in an hour." Her Insta-Note parchment lay to one side...the one that Draco and Harry both recognized as being the one she used when she was communicating with 'Vlad.'

"Grange...you can go meet Vlad at a time like this!" Draco yelled, outraged. Hermione steeled her nerves as Harry joined Draco's glare.

"It's none of your business, Draco." She whispered, softly.

"I'd like to know what your deal is, too." Harry snarled, standing up and glaring at her. "I'm about to face my death tomorrow and you're brewing some damned **contraceptive** potion so that you can go visit your lover!"

"Shut up, Harry." Hermione said, tiredly. "I've not led you stray thus far. I know your nerves are nearing their ends, and so are mine, but I need you to take that extra step of trust that you have several times since we began this whole thing. I can't tell you what my mission tonight is, but it's crucial that I finish it out, or you may find us all outmatched tomorrow."

Harry glared at Hermione, wishing nothing more than to continue railing his temper and his fear out on her, but she was right...she had gotten them that far. Reluctantly, he lowered his hands and nodded slowly. "Alright. But don't let me down, Hermione, or you'll regret it."

"I know." The weight of sorrow on that one statement almost made Harry repentant about threatening his best friend, but before he could say anything she turned the heat off beneath the cauldron in the corner and took out a vial, labelling it with a large V. Ignoring the men, she drew up a dipper full of the potion and poured it carefully into the labelled vial. Three dippers full slowly filled the vial, and only after she had corked it did Hermione turn to Harry and Draco once again.

"The Order will, I suspect, be in our way the entire time...but don't forget that the Riders absolutely **must** be hidden in the Forbidden Forest surrounding the gate at least an hour before the attack. The earlier, the better. We can't afford to have the Order getting in our way, and Voldemort's forces won't hesitate once they arrive." Tucking the vial of potion into her robes with her wand, Hermione started for the door, only to stop and sigh. Looking at the two men, she closed her eyes for a moment, as if in grieving.

"We'll make sure it's done, Hermione. You don't need to worry about that." Harry said, reassuringly. He and Draco both frowned, however, when Hermione didn't look comforted.

"Harry, Draco...if I'm not...if I'm not in place by the beginning of the battle, please don't worry about it. I'll be as safe as I can possibly be." With these words, the young woman turned and walked quickly to the door, slipping out without another word and disappearing down the hallway before either man could regain their wits enough to try to catch her.

**justaroundthecornertheresheartaches**

Voldemort stared silently at the path to the forest glade Hermione had asked him to meet her in, silently fuming. If she set him up...but no. He could hear her walking down the path silently. After only a few moments, the brunette witch emerged and Voldemort smiled, moving to her swiftly. As he gathered her in his arms, Voldemort could swear his life had just clicked into place. His lips collided with hers and the world around him disappeared.

Her soft, slender hands...just what he'd longed for for so long...stroked his chest and caressed his cheeks. He couldn't help himself. A moan slipped from his lips, pressed against hers, and he felt himself responding to her touch in a way that he'd never thought possible. His own so, so white hands gripped her soft round ass and lifted, pressing her back into a tree at the edge of the glade as he pressed flush against her.

Hermione moaned softly and drew away slowly, pulling a bottle of wine free of her robes. "I brought a little something for us..." She whispered, pulling out two wine glasses as well, handing him one. "To celebrate the ending of the NEWTs."

"Very well, my darling love." Voldemort smiled down at her, putting all of the love that he knew was for her in his eyes...delighted to see the returning love shining in her own. As she poured the wine into the two glasses, he thought he saw something sad in her eyes, but in the next moment she raised her glass with a bright smile.

"A toast." She announced. "To us. To the future. And to the end of the Nastily Exhausting Wizard's Tests!"

"Here here!" Voldemort laughed at Hermione's spunk, and after clicking his glass delicatly against hers, took a long, long drink of the wine.

She'd known, when she'd gotten the bottle from the house elves, that she would be sharing her lover's fate before too long. Hermione was filled with a bittersweet sense of longing over this. The potion she had brewed would work, of that she had no doubt. But it was a double-edged sword this time. Hermione had added the potion to the wine. It was a magic-killing potion. It would render Voldemort- and now, Hermione as well- completely magic-less in times of great stress or excitement.

In other words, they could never again get in a duel or they would die. Worse. They would be sitting ducks. Unless by some miracle they managed to keep their heartrate from speeding up. It also meant, though Hermione wouldn't say it, that the natural contraceptive in a witch's body allowing her to grow pregnant only when she wished it would be overridden. It was one of those _oh goodie_ moments, in which the young witch found herself contemplating the greater evil.

But still...she had gotten most of the potion into Voldemort by the next morning. The rest was in her. They had ingested the entire wine bottle, between them, just before colliding together. As before, an unspoken agreement between them put their past and their futures aside to come together as man and woman. Neither wanted inhibitions to prevent them from enjoying the other's embrace while it was still available. Her feelings for him had been so strong upon that first meeting that she'd thrown aside her goodie-two-shoes thoughtfulness aside and given into whim for once in his life. And now, wrapped in each other's arms this way, Hermione found the promise of everything she had ever wanted.

However, as she collapsed beside the only man she would ever love, the bookworm's heart broke in anguish.

For she knew what the next day would bring.


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of Ms. Rowling's wonderful creations. Nor do I own any of the various songs that may be presented throughout the length of this fanfiction. The various songs will be named at the end of the fic, as well as in the chapter within which they lie.**

**A big thanks and a shout out to all of my reviewers! Thank you so much!**

**_Yay for Chapter 14!_**

Yours,

_**Allison**_

**Chapter 14**

_Deare**st** **T**om,_

_I a**m** **le**avi**ng **this letter in y**our** cloak, because I must return to the sc**hoo**l in the m**idd**le of the night...bef**ore** I am **mis**sed. With an imp**endin**g b**at**tle ly**ing** so**mew**here on the h**oriz**on, I fe**ar** **t**hat **thi**s is the last time I will be able to w**rite** you with some small s**emb**lence of civility. When ag**ain** we me**et**, fac**e** **t**o fa**ce**, we w**ill **be on a b**attle**field. I do not **fea**r death any lo**nge**r, for I k**no**w that in that e**tern**al sl**um**ber you and I **will fi**ndsome s**mal**l measure of peace to**geth**er._

_It is a p**eac**e that we would n**eve**r find here in life, and w**hil**e I do not r**eg**ret a se**con**d of ou**r** **a**ffair, rea**lit**y- and the crue**lt**y of **such**-b**eck**ons. **Oh, **my d**ar**ling V**la**d...I **wis**h to every d**eit**y kno**wn **to m**ank**ind th**at **we were**n't** at **wa**r. My time **with** you has be**en** **t**he hap**piest** ti**me** of my** life**, and I'm s**o** **gl**ad th**at** I g**ot** **t**o kn**ow **you **as a **m**an **and not ju**st** the d**ark** l**or**d Vol**de**mort. **Eve**n you**r** **na**me **no** long**er h**olds the s**ame** dark**ness** that it on**ce** did, for **I kn**ow that y**ou** are ju**st** **a**nother man **und**er**neat**h you**r** **da**rkness, **eve**n know**ing** that- in **Fre**nch- it means Fl**igh**t of **Dea**th. (**I st**ill have tr**ou**ble beli**evin**g that **you** cho**se** the n**ame** mostly beca**us**e it **sou**nded c**ool**)_

_**Ti**me **grow**s short, my love. **I mu**st return._

_**You**rs Al**way**s,_

_**Tig**er**lil**y_

**onthe8thofnovembertheangelswerecryingastheycarriedhisbrothersaway**

She had been crying when she'd written the letter. Voldemort stared down at it silently, finding his own eyes unusually moist at the clear sign of his beloved Hermione's sorrow. Gathering himself, he tucked the letter back into his cloak and walked swiftly towards the clearing that was to be the meeting place of his Dark Forces. It ended on this day, one way or another. Since he was no longer mortal, he would have to be much more careful than ever before, and yet...

...and yet. That was really it, wasn't it. And yet.

He wasn't entirely sure that being mortal was strictly a bad thing. As Hermione had stated in her letter, they would gain more peace together in death than they ever would in life...even if he did win the war. She would, he knew, be miserable without her friends. And if he lost the war, he would be dead. What a wonderful situation he had wrangled himself into.

Upon arriving in the clearing, Voldemort spotted Severus Snape with practiced ease. He was standing beside Bella and the two were conversing in low voices. Despite the soft tones, it was obvious that the argument was rather heated. The pair of death eaters held themselves more stiffly than usual, and Bella was talking with her hands...something she did only when she was furious beyond any type of expression. As for Severus, the potion master's wand hand was mottled he was gripping his wand so tightly, and the man seemed to be physically restraining himself from cursing the witch.

Ignoring their quarrel, for it was nothing new, Voldemort spoke. "My friends." His voice was smoothe and silky, much as it had been that night in the graveyard when he'd smiled and thanked them for arriving before punishing them for being unfaithful enough that they'd escaped Azkaban in order to arrive. "By noon, we will rule the wizarding world! As it should be, yes?" He smiled pleasantly at them, his hazel eyes glinting with his madness. For all of his mortality, Voldemort was still more than confident about his victory.

He had, after all, had sixteen years to plan.

"Come. We will move now. Dawn draws near, and that is when we will make our attack." This said, Voldemort turned and swooped through the forest, leading his forces. For all of his Slytherin traits, he was no coward.

Dawn was just breaking its way over the horizon as Voldemort stepped out of the foliage surrounding Hogwarts Castle and took a long, deep breath of the fresh morning air. Smiling broadly, he drew his wand and started for the main doors.

...Only to be struck in the side with a hex from an order member. Turning in rage and surprise, the Dark Lord roared his anger. "THEY KNEW WE WERE COMING! ATTACK, MY DEATH EATERS! ATTACK MY ALLIES! TODAY IT ENDS!" Spinning, he waved his wand and roared a curse.

...And nothing happened.

While he was staring dumbly at his wand, the rest of his forces surged forwards, sending a barrage of hexes, curses, and all around dark spells at their enemies. Spinning around as if trying to find the source of his lacking magic, Voldemort's snake-like hazel eyes landed on several figures emerging from the forest **_behind_** the death eaters. One in particular caught his eye. Her brown hair had been yanked back into a fierce french braid, and any sign of the joy that had been present the previous night long erased. His blood ran cold as he saw her remain behind as her companions ran to join the battle. Her wand was out, but no spell shot forth.

_Hermione, what did you put in the wine!_

Brown eyes met hazel, and even across the distance he could read the sorrow in them.

**withthefireallaroundandthehellontheground**

Hermione had explained the plan to the Dragon Riders as soon as she'd rendezvoused with them at the edge of the Forbidden Forest, and they had been thrilled, albeit disappointed that Hermione's magical strength wouldn't be behind them.

_"It won't affect my career, after all." Hermione said, a sad smile on her face...which was still streaked with tears. "Potions making does not constitute an adhrenaline rush, luckily for me. I just won't be able to race in the air anymore. Actually, I don't know if I'll be able to sustain my animagus form at all, really, but you know..."_

_"Blimey, 'Mione! You fell in love with You-Know-Who!" Ron had stuttered, for the thousandth time since she'd mentioned that part._

She met Voldemort's eyes across the battlefield, and she saw him resign himself to the fate to which she had condemned him. Harry, Ron, and Draco fought their way like wild men, demolishing the Dark Lord's forces in their fury. Hermione and Draco had truly pushed their Dragon Riders' training, and it showed. Voldemort lifted his wand, unwilling to go down without a fight.

Those strangely shaped hazel eyes met Hermione's chocolate orbs as a green light flashed from Harry's wand and into the chest of the Gryffindor witch's beloved. She felt the hot tears on her face as she watched him fall...watched the life leave those eyes. And then she was running, across the field of bodies, through the duelling creatures and witches and wizards, throwing herself on the body of the only man she'd ever loved.

Draco, Ron, and Harry stood guard over their grieving leader long after the battle had truly met its end, hexing anyone who dared come near. Only when she had passed out from exhaustion did they move, carrying the broken-hearted witch away to the Dragon Rider headquarters where the remainder of the Dragon Riders were already waiting.


	15. Epilogue

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of Ms. Rowling's wonderful creations. Nor do I own any of the various songs that may be presented throughout the length of this fanfiction. The various songs will be named at the end of the fic, as well as in the chapter within which they lie.**

**A big thanks and a shout out to all of my reviewers! Thank you so much!**

**_Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed, and thank you for following this story, even though it was rather choppy…especially with the writer's block that struck me so badly right after Christmas. My more loyal fans, I must truly say that I love you. Those of you who continued to press for the finale of this story were the ones who helped me to break through my writer's block and do so._**

I have tried, with Pen Pal, to truly capture the actual depth of Voldemort's evilness, as well as Hermione's loyalty. I don't mind stories in which one or the other changes sides "magically," however I find them rather lacking in actual truth. Real life is not a fairy tale, unfortunately, and neither are my fics. Hermione would not give up seven years of friendship for Voldemort, because she is Muggleborn and because her sense of both honor and justice are much more intense than to allow her such a luxury.

Similarly, Voldemort is too entrenched in the dark arts to ever truly turn himself around. Logically, it just wasn't plausible in the least. In his mind, he is superior in every way, and forcing him to face inferiority by expecting him to adhere to certain principles and laws would be a butchery of the character of Voldemort. He would cease to be Voldemort and his story would simply become another fairy tale like the Frog Prince or Rapunzel. He might love Hermione and want to make her his Dark Queen…but that would not change the fact that he dreams of ruling the world and everyone in it.

And now, to bore you no further with my idiotic spoutings, I give you the ending of Pen Pal.

Yours,

_**Allison**_

**Epilogue**

**(Author's Note: I know this seems a little confusing, so I'm going to indicate in this key whose voice you're imagining when, rather than putting it in narrative format. It's something I'm playing around with.**_ Italics Hermione's Voice, as if from a recording, _**Bold Harry's Voice, also recorded,** Underlined Draco's Recorded Voice

_Including my beloved, Voldemort, the ending death count of the war numbered over three hundred thousand._

**Random attacks from the dark forces would continue for years, during which Pansy Parkinson-Weasley and her husband Ronald would be murdered for betraying the dark.**

Severus Snape and Bellatrix Lestrange both perished in that final true battle, when their Dark Lord fell. Each died at the other's wand.

_Remus Lupin, Minerva McGonagall, Filius Flitwick..._

**For months after the death of Voldemort, Hermione disappeared. She reappeared six months later, pregnant.**

Fenrir Greyback's corpse was found, blackened by some sort of flame, twisted in combat with Remus Lupin. It was later learned that Lupin doused the werewolf- who refused to take Granger's cure- in molten silver.

_Arthur Weasley, Alastor Moody, Albus Dumbledore, Sirius Black..._

**Though she never told us, as she suffered through that intense and terrible pregnancy, we all knew who had fathered the child.**

Percy Weasley fought like a madman at the death of his beloved Penelope. When he died, he took no fewer than fifteen deatheaters with him.

_Cedric Diggory, Blaise Zabini, Parvati Patil, Ronald Weasley..._

**By her seventh month, Madame Pomfrey put Hermione on emergency bedrest.**

Crabbe Jr and Goyle Jr were found next to the bodies of their fathers. Their fathers had used them as human shields to continue fighting.

_Pansy Parkinson, Dean Thomas, Nymphadora Tonks, Seamus Finnigan..._

**Hermione went into labor on Christmas Eve. She would remain in labor for five full days.**

Thanks to some extensive research done by both myself and Hermione, the dementors of Azkaban were defeated with a complex new offensive potion transfiguration. Throw the potion, it explodes and transfigures thanks to the spell, and boom. The dementors turned into kittens. Literally. Hermione's idea.

_Percy Weasley, Penelope Weasley, Fleur Weasley, Gabrielle Delacour..._

**The birthing process was not pleasant to say the least. Hermione had lost so much strength in her prolonged labor that she couldn't find any last refuges to push her child into the world.**

The giants turned on each other in the middle of the battle. Tribes which had somehow managed a temporary alliance under the dark lord's promise of glory fell upon each other savagely.

_Viktor Krum, Rita Skeeter, Mundungus Fletcher, Charlie Weasley..._

**Madame Pomfrey had to do an emergency cesarian section. The child was, luckily, alive.**

They found Charlie Weasley burnt to a crisp, roasted by one of his own dragons.

_Madame Malkins, Igor Kakaroff, Sybill Trelawney, Rubeus Hagrid..._

**Hermione lived only long enough to ask Draco and I not to allow history to repeat. She also named her child. Thomas after his father. Richard after his grandfather.**

Hagrid and his wretched Hippogriff, Buckbeak...or Witherwings...were found together, as they had fallen.

_Hermione Granger..._

**Hermione Granger...**

Hermione Granger...

**Draco and I took in young Tom and showed him all of the love and affection that neither of us had received, growing up.**

Ginny Weasley married Lavender Brown, and they adopted three young children...all of whom are final battle orphans.

**Tom meets their youngest child, Melissa, every weekend for a play date.**

There's an ongoing bet to see whether our adopted son ends up in Slytherin, like his father...

**Or Gryffindor, like his mother truly was...**

Even when it meant killing her beloved.

_**Hermione Granger**_

_**Final Battle Hero**_

_**Order of Merlin, First Class**_

_**Potions Mistress**_

_**Revolutionary New Potion of the Year Recepient**_

_**Best Friend**_

_**Mother**_

**therewerefewmenleftstandingthatday**

"Father." Thomas- as his father demanded that he be called- Malfoy-Potter stood staring down at his biological mother's grave stoically. "What do you think she would think of me?

"Well, Thomas." Draco put his hand on his son's shoulder. "I knew your mother well enough to know that she would be truly ecstatic to know what you've made of yourself.''

"She wouldn't be disappointed that I'm a Ravenclaw, would she?" Hazel eyes looked worriedly up into gray.

Draco smiled sadly. It had been twelve years to the day that Hermione Granger had died, and her son was everything she had hoped he would be. History would not repeat again, for the brunette bookworm's Gryffindor spark and love of learning had successfully balanced out the charming Slytherin's dark streak. And while the vice versa was also true, Draco was confident that neither of Tom's parents- with their reputations for quick minds and sharp tongues- would mind that their son had taken more of a scholar's route.

"No, Tom." A new voice spoke behind them and Draco turned with his son to see his husband of ten years, Harry Potter, standing there smiling sadly. "Your mum would have been proud beyond any words. As your father and I both are."

"H'llo, Dad. Glad you got away from work." The young boy grinned, flashing his perfect teeth and running a hand through his straight brown hair.

"Harry." There was a whining note in Draco's voice. "Grange named him **Thomas** for a reason, you know! We need to respect that!"

"Thomas is a stuffy name, Draco." Harry chided, gently, smiling. "Tom fits him better. He's twelve, Dray, not two hundred." The blonde huffed and turned away.

"Do you really think she'd like me, Dad?" Tom asked, needing with all of his heart to be told again. He loved his parents, but he had grown up with the weight of his birth father's legacy on him...a legacy that wasn't at all pleasing. More often than not, the young boy found himself the outsider...the loner...simply because of who his bloodline could be traced back to compared to whose house he was actually in.

"On the contrary." A prim, feminine voice startled them all, making them turn. "I **love** you, Tom." They turned to see a translucent woman standing by the headstone that marked Hermione Granger's resting place.

"M-mum?" Tom choked out.

"Yes, darling." Those brown eyes softened as she looked at her son. A second shade came into view just behind her, looking much as Tom would look in ten years' time...though with darker, almost black, hair. "We are proud of you, Tom."

"You have surpassed our greatest wishes, son." The man standing with Hermione said, quietly.

"Hermione." Harry couldn't help speaking. When those laughing brown eyes turned to him, he stayed still, tongue-tied.

"Oh Harry. Thank you for protecting my son. Thank you for loving him." The voice was soft. "Your parents send their best wishes."

"And young Lord Malfoy." Draco turned to look at Voldemort's ghost. "I was given a message for you."

"Yes?"

"Your father was given his due. Everything he ever inflicted upon an innocent has now become his own punishment."

"Thank you, sir."

"Goodbye, Tom." Hermione whispered, blowing a ghostly kiss to her son as she and her love faded from view.

"We love you, son." Voldemort said, his voice ringing in the air even after they were gone.

Harry and Draco looked at each other. Draco slid to Harry, who put an arm around his husband's waist and held a hand out to their adopted son. "Come on, Tom. Mrs. Weasley will skin us alive if we're late for dinner. It's the New Year, after all."

"Do you think Uncle Fred and Uncle George will have a fireworks show again this year?"

"I'd almost guarantee it."

"Yippee! Last one down the hill to Mrs. Weasley's is a rotten hippogriff egg!" Tom took off running.

After a moment or two of looking at each other, smiling, both of his fathers took off after him, laughing the entire way.

**Author's Note:**

**_Again, thank you to all who reviewed and all who are clicking the review button now. In this epilogue, I have come closer to pushing Voldemort OOC than I have in the entirety of the fourteen prior chapters. My reasons are these:_**

_**1. He has been dead for thirteen years, Hermione twelve. She will have had time to draw his spirit towards the light in that time gap.**_

_**2. Thomas Richard Malfoy-Potter is Voldemort's son. Though he may wish for the child to follow the dark path that he himself took, the fact remains that young Tom inherited the love for learning that his mother and father both share…which is what the lure of the Dark Arts is, in my mind. To me, the Dark Arts are a soul-deep craving for knowledge that goes beyond simply what is accepted in society. No doubt not every scholar studying this darkness manages to keep a scholarly interest…however, it also stands to reason that not every scholar crosses that line to madman either.**_

_**3. Hermione would make his afterlife miserable if he tried to pressure their son into the dark arts.**_

_**Goodbye, dear readers, and thank you ever so much for your reviews and support.**_

_**Yours,**_

_**Allison**_


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